


The Pet and his Duke

by Beryll (Rynthjan)



Series: Robert [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Aylian, Demons, Drug Use, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Malicorn, Minor Character Death, Pigs, Rape, Science Fiction, Sexual Content, Slavery, Torture, Vacation, Violence, bad music, mention of tentacles, phoenix empire, puppy, sappy romance, young master/older slave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-12
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-05 05:09:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 82,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynthjan/pseuds/Beryll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An aging pleasure slave is bought by the new, teenaged Duke of Aylian. He expects to be used and eventually discarded, but finds much, much more in his new home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - A Sunny Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Starting in the year 5049 of the Phoenix Empire timeline.

The first sunny day of early summer graced the capital of Aylian with a warm breeze blowing in from the west, the coast, carrying the faint smell of sea water and the shouting of dock workers unloading the fishing boats that had come in from their morning trip.

It was Robert's favourite breeze.

The acrid smell of engine exhaust and the roaring of spaceships landing and taking off from the sprawling spaceport to the east when the wind blew from there was annoying.

But it was still preferable to the rare occasions when there was a breeze from the north where the newly build huge landing field for the demon forces was snuggled up against the foothills of the Tor'Tecla mountains. The tepid stench of the huge behemoths landing, resting and taking off reminded Robert of rotting mushrooms.

There were still nights when he was woken up by their strange, piercing cries and had no clue where he was and what had happened to him.

Those nights were getting rarer though. As soon has he heard the soft snoring and felt the lean, warm arm or leg of his bed-fellow casually thrown over himself he knew perfectly well where he was and remembered how lucky he had been.

He took first a deep breath from the welcome western breeze and then a small sip from his drink. Then he turned around, comfortably resting his elbows on the balustrade behind him and gazed through the open doors leading out to the balcony inside, where the court of Aylian plus an amazing variety of foreign dignitaries was assembled.

These days everyone wanted the ear of the Duke who controlled access to the Aliaerean Empire simply by ruling the one planet that was close to the demon's portal. What had nearly been the ruin of Aylian had turned into a priceless asset. 

And the Duke was wringing every last bit of advantage out of the situation with a ruthlessness that was not only the trademark of his House but also a personal past time. He delighted in confusing and scaring his enemies as well as those who pretended to be his allies. 

Right now he was lounging on the huge obsidian monstrosity which served as his throne in his favourite pose: one leg thrown over the armrest, the other drawn up so his foot rested on the seat and his elbow on the knee. 

He looked incredibly bored, studying the ceiling, the rich tapestries on the walls, the murals on the columns supporting the roof and even a flock of colourfully dressed courtiers which were standing close to one column, whispering. The one thing he was not paying attention to were the two people in front of his throne who were performing an amazing display of complete disregard to the decorum expected of them.

The guild trader was red faced, shaking his meaty fists in the face of the much taller, green tinted creature with swarthy skin and huge, glistening black horns and fangs that towered above him while said creature furiously hissed at the translator who was trying to somehow convey the various nuances of his outrage while skipping as many curses as possible.

Robert's knowledge of the demon language had improved vastly in the last few months but he still didn't get even half of what the demon lord was so enraged about.

The trader obviously was claiming he had never ever cheated anyone in his life. Of course he was lying but the demon was just as likely to be lying. After all he - or she? it? - was a demon.

It was the Duke's unpleasant duty to listen to such petitions and judge. At least no one expected him to judge fairly anymore. People were getting very careful what kind of grievances they decided to present at court. It had happened often enough that both parties had been removed from existence for "wasting the Duke's time". He was borrowing a page from the last Emperor's book and he was doing it with style and relish.

He did however take care to be equally offensive which had earned him more respect than anybody had expected when he was crowned duke. No one had given him more than a month back then.

That was six months ago now and he had everyone with business on Aylian on their toes on a tight leash, choking them whenever he felt like it. That the Emperor had repeatedly publicly approved of his handling of situations had helped as well.

Again Robert sipped from his drink, letting his eyes drift half closed. 

He was content.

He had felt many things in his life but content had never been among them.

And what a life it had been. Born and raised as a high pedigree pet on Yaiciz, he had been trained to become a perfect Dracon pet.

At his first auction he had been sold as the evening's prime piece. His price had been astronomic. His first owner had treated him accordingly, locking him up, enjoying him privately and only showing him to his most esteemed guests.

Of course Robert had never had an opportunity to form any sort of personal relationship with the man, which was vital when trying to bind an owner with emotional ties to make sure you would not be resold.

So at some point the novelty had worn off and he had been passed on as a precious gift. Not that it had mattered how precious he was by that point. Used goods were used goods and his best chance on a permanent owner had been wasted.

But he had been young and foolish still and hopeful. Teenagers were like that.

Foolish had gone first.

Then young.

Finally hopeful.

He had been passed on, sold, resold, inherited, even stolen. Every possibly way for a slave to change ownership had at some point happened to him, his price dropping bit by bit.

He had grown too old to be a cute pet, then too old to be an experienced pet, then simply too old, then ridiculously old.

He clearly remembered the morning he had stood in front of a bathroom mirror and noticed the first lines around his eyes.

That had been years ago.

He had been thirty-eight when his last owner - who he had never even met, he had spent his time in the man's possession locked up in his serail with much younger boys - had died from poisoning.

The cute boys had passed into his owner's son's possession, he had been sold once more. For a pittance considering what he had been worth to start with.

Robert smiled, recalling his state of mind back then. He had been well past caring. He had just been hoping with a kind of detached cynism that someone would finally put him out of his misery like one would shoot a lame horse.

And then that mad kid had walked into his life. Of all the possible people he could have imagined being owned by - a sixteen year old boy who at one moment was as viscous as an angry cat and at the next a purring, sensual creature which drove him to the edge of his stamina and then well past it - that just wasn't credible.

It was supposed to be the other way around. A distinguished, experienced owner with a cute boytoy. But it wasn't.

Adapting had not been easy, but by far the most pleasurable experience of his ridiculously long life.

Asked why ever he would chose Robert as his pet his new owner had just shrugged and said: "I am young, cute and sexy. Why would I need a pet which is the same?"

His owner was a complex creature but Robert thought that by now he had figured why he had been chosen over every other option: He could be trusted to never ever betray his master. 

That his owner also genuinely liked him, that was something he intellectually understood but would still need more time to believe in his heart.

He had done the one thing he had never done before with an owner - asked if he would be sold again.

His master had laughed at him. "Of course not, you are my friend. And who would train the cute young things I will buy when I get older then?" had been his reply.

It had made Robert itch in all the right ways.

So now he was content.

A soft cough in front of him drew his attention. The man standing in front of him was the Duke's master of ceremony. He wore an expression of deep distain etched into his brow and looked down at Robert with haughty condescendence.

"Don't you think it is a little early for you to be drinking?" the man asked in the patronising tone one would use for a dumb child.

Robert smiled at him pleasantly. Being polite, obedient and submissive had been bred into him.

"Fuck off." He told the man just as pleasantly.

He was the only pet of the Duke of Aylian and that afforded him some liberties.


	2. Mail Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at how Robert became the Duke's property

Being bought or sold was one of the most fearsome moments for any slave. It was a moment of total vulnerability. With no attachments to any master came the complete lack of any protection. The trader would do virtually anything to you to sell you.

The trader would want to get rid of you as quickly as possible for as high a price as possible. The buyer would want to get you for as low a price as possible. That mostly resulted either in haggling - if the buyer really wanted you - and having your potential owner point out all your flaws aloud was hardly pleasant. Or in the buyer walking away if he considered you now worth the price. Which could be bad or good, depending on the potential buyer.

Then there was the very real risk of not being sold as quickly as the trader wished, which would result in punishment, your price being lowered and at worst you getting handed down to another trader who dealt with less valuable goods.

Auctions were a special horror to any slave. Being paraded in front of an audience, often not even being able to see who was bidding for you, at worst even forced to perform on stage - those were things slave nightmares were made of.

Robert had been bought and sold so often he considered himself above that fear. He had grown so accustomed to the situation it didn't bother him much anymore.

But none of those countless changes of owner had prepared him for the latest turn of events. He simply hadn't been prepared for the complete humiliation of being picked out from a catalogue and ordered via mail. You bought a pack of field or mine slaves from a catalogue. But a pet? That was the definite low point of his career.

That the buyer had not even bothered to show up in person, that buying him was so insignificant - it galled him much more than he would have expected.

Of course he should have been happy that he had at last been sold at all. He had spent nearly a year in this latest trader's stock and the trader had already joked that he would keep him as a lucky charm since everything else sold exceedingly well since he had picked up Robert. Needless to say, Robert had despised the man with silent venom.

He hadn't even been told who he had been sold to. Just to pack his few personal items and get ready to move out from the tiny cell he had called home for much too long.

What he really didn't get was that his owner hadn't deemed it important enough to come look at him personally, but had paid the exorbitant price for a single-person-teleport from Guild Central where Robert had been kept to where ever it was his new master lived.

At least the teleport had spared him those four incredibly boring weeks an average freight ship needed to get from planet to planet. 

The spaceport he had arrived at had looked like any other spaceport, so that had been no clue to where he was. He had been shooed off the platform and handed over to the guardsman who apparently was there to pick him up.

This had been the next surprise. It was a Youh'Kai warrior, complete with tribal armour and bone daggers, but also sporting a heavy blaster in a holster on his hip.

Robert’s contact with the aliens had been limited until then. One of his former mistresses had kept several Youh'Kai pets, since she had an irrational fear of getting pregnant. She was using the aliens for sex, since humans and Youh'Kai could not reproduce. Robert's job had been to teach the young men how to please their mistress. They had certainly not been typical specimens of their race.

This one looked much more the part of murderous, bloodthirsty alien, giving Robert a welcoming grin of many sharp, pointed teeth.

Robert had quickly abandoned the idea of asking where he was or who he belonged to now. Apparently his new master liked to keep dangerous company. It wasn't unusual for a master to share his pets with his guards. The thought of getting fucked by such a creature like the one who firmly ushered him into the backseat of a hover glider waiting outside the arrival building of the spaceport was at the same time terrifying and exhilarating.

The Youh'Kai slid into the driver seat and then they took off, heading from the spaceport towards a sprawling city. Robert got a good look around and soon was able to identify where he was. Most of the city was in a state between destruction and re-building. It looked like there had been a recent and devastating attack and there was only one planet in the Empire that had suffered such an attack in the immediate past: Aylian. 

That fit right in with the Youh'Kai. Aylian had one of the largest Youh'Kai populations on Empire planets. 

Robert had pitifully little knowledge of the current situation on Aylian. While he had been in stock with the trader he had been forced to fight for even getting a chance to read a newspaper. He knew that being well informed on recent events was an asset for a pet that had to perform in social events. And at his age it was rather likely he would be used in that capacity. He was neither pretty nor innocent nor valuable enough to keep him safely locked up in some serail.

With a sigh, Robert let his head drop back against the seat. Who was he kidding; he really had no idea for what purpose his new owner had purchased him. He had never even seen his listing in the catalogue he had been ordered from, so it could be accurate or completely fabricated. There was a very real chance that he'd be returned as soon as the buyer had a look at him in person. 

There were moments when he really hated being at the mercy of a slave trader, he thought with caustic amusement. He would probably have been better at making a convincing sales pitch for himself by now. He had witnessed enough of them to know what worked and what didn't.

"Hey, pet."

Enjoying his misery as he had been it took him a moment to realize the Youh'Kai bodyguard was talking to him.

Damn, but he really was slipping in his manners.

"Yes, sir?" he tried to make up for it with extra polite subservience.

"Look out the window to your right, if you want a look at your new home." The alien told him, apparently entirely unmoved by Robert's grovelling tone of voice.

Curiously Robert peered outside and watched as they descended towards the sprawling fortress that dominated the top of a hill at the centre of the city. The ducal palace, he realized. Repairs were well on their way to being complete here already. The Youh'Kai guided the glider down to one of the courtyards.

So apparently his new master lived at the palace. Again Robert wondered who it might be.

"It's the Duke." The Youh'Kai said unexpectedly.

With a start, Robert realized that the alien must have read his mind. Most of them were psychic in some way.

"Well, if you think that loudly it's hard not to pick it up." The alien again replied to his thoughts. "And no, not all my kind can read your thoughts." He immediately addressed Robert's next thought. "It's a special talent of mine that the Duke finds very useful."

Then it penetrated what the Youh'Kai had said first.

The Duke was his new owner.

Robert had been owned by nobles before, but never by any of such high rank. He raked his memory for any details about his new master. Vaguely, he remembered reading that the old Duke had been killed during the demon invasion of Aylian and that his youngest son now held the title, but that was dreadfully little information to go by.

Why the hell would a young Duke buy a pet like him, Robert wondered.

They had landed and the Youh'Kai got out of the glider and opened the door for him with a slight smirk. "I hope you don't need much sleep," he said, "the Duke's quite a handful."

Now what was that supposed to mean? Sadly, this time the alien did not reply to his thoughts, but instead grabbed Robert's duffle bag from the trunk of the glider and led the way inside the fortress.

They reached the ducal suite much too soon for Robert's comfort. He was still trying to prepare himself for meeting his new master and trying to figure out how to best make a good impression. 

Outside, another Youh'Kai waited, guarding the door.

"Ah, so he's home?" Robert's guard asked.

"Yeah." The other alien answered, grinning. "And waiting for you. He can't wait to see his new toy."

The Youh'Kai who had picked up Robert pushed open the door and headed inside and Robert followed. The suite was rather strangely furnished. The floors were covered by thick, slightly mismatched carpets, the walls were bare stone, the furniture itself looked like it had been scavenged from a dozen different rooms to fill the spacious suite. Which probably they had been, if the fortress had been taken and raided by the demons.

"Thomar?" the guard called, surprising Robert yet again with apparently being on first name terms with the Duke. "I'm back."

Robert quickly dropped to his knees and lowered his eyes as a young man entered from where Robert guessed the bedroom to be. He only caught a short glimpse, but what he did see made him wondered what the bad side of this new master was, since it certainly wasn't his looks.

"I've brought your pet." The Youh'Kai explained unnecessarily.

"Thank you, T'lark." The Duke's youthful voice answered, sounding quite pleased. "Please leave us."

The alien guard departed, closing the door behind him and Robert realized that he was quite nervous with suddenly being alone with his new master.

A pair of heavy combat boots came into view and then circled around him as the Duke inspected him.

"So you are Robert, yes?" he then asked.

"Yes, my lord." Robert answered, again wondering why the Duke had bought him, why he had bought him this way, if he had somehow been deceived into buying him, if he was pleased with his purchase.

"Your listing said that you've had a ton of owners already and that you're really experienced with being a pet?"

So at least that had been accurate. "Yes, my lord."

The circling boots stopped in front of him again. "Look at me, please." His new owner asked and Robert complied.

Now taking a proper look at the young Duke, he couldn't help but think that the boy looked cute enough to make a wonderful pet himself. Then he sharply reminded himself never to think of his new master as a boy. And certainly not as pet.

The Duke had been studying Robert himself and now he grinned happily. "I think they cheated with your holos in that catalogue. You looked much younger in those." He stated, to Robert's consternation sounding extremely pleased.

"I... uh... I'm sorry, my lord...?" he stuttered but was immediately waved silent.

"No, no it's good. Even better than I hoped." His new master explained making no sense at all to Robert.

This was not what he had expected. Not that he really had expected anything, but this certainly wouldn't have been it.

"Damn, this is so great! You are exactly what I wanted!" The young Duke was practically bouncing with excitement. "I hope you're not too tired from the journey?" he then asked.

"No, my lord?" Robert replied hesitantly.

"Awesome!" Before he knew what was happening, Robert was already being hauled to his feet and dragged towards the open bedroom door. "Let's take you for a test drive, then!"


	3. A Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hard day, Duke Thomar decides that he and Robert will go out to have some fun.

WHAM!

The door to the ducal quarters was slammed shut with an impact that would have made lesser walls tremble. 

However, the walls of the ducal fortress dominating the hill at the centre of Aylian's capital were very thick and made from hewn stone enforced with a cermansteel core. The foundations dated back over two thousand years when humans had first settled on the planet and had withstood rebellions, wars, an alien invasion and occupation and lately a demon assault.

They were entirely unfazed by the temper tantrums of a teenaged Duke.

The human denizens of these walls were another story of course. Robert could well imagine servants as well as guards flinching away from their master's outburst. Granted - the Duke rarely hurt anyone but the high and mighty who constantly annoyed him, but it wasn't unheard of that he would have a clumsy servant or incompetent guard punished severely. And anyway - it was never a bad idea to have a healthy amount of respect for the noble who held your life in his hands.

Robert had settled in his favourite armchair near the huge fireplace about half an hour earlier after a solitary dinner, fully expecting to spend a quiet and equally solitary evening with the latest volume in a series of entirely sappy romance novels he had started reading years ago. Since sappy and romantic had never happened to him it had been a welcome escape. Now it was more of a guilty pleasure, but he considered himself too old to be required to give up any vices.

The Duke had earlier informed him that he would be busy all evening with an important meeting, already in a foul mood then. Apparently the meeting had been terminated early in some way.

Robert looked up from his paperback, glimpsing over the rims of his reading glasses somewhat owlishly, as the young Duke stalked into the room.

Duke Thomar Dracon of Aylian looked like the kind of teenager that would make school girl swoon. He wasn't tall yet, but in the short time that Robert had known him he had already grown at least another inch. He had the body of a runner, lean, with narrow hips and long legs. 

He wore black like all members of House Dracon, tight pants and shirt and a jacket with the severe cut of a uniform, only without any rank insignia.

What really made him special though was his pretty face with large, brown eyes that were often partially hidden behind floppy light brown hair that reached almost to his shoulders. 

Those eyes could be soft and vulnerable as a doe's. Robert had learned quickly that was nothing but a well calculated manoeuvre to put enemies at ease. The razor sharp mind behind those eyes was constantly looking for new ways to get the best of everyone around him.

Now these eyes were smouldering with a rage that was much more true to the Duke's personality.

Spotting Robert in his place by the fireplace the Duke stopped in a posture that could only be called combat ready.

"Don't. Ask." he hissed angrily.

Robert couldn't shake the image of a cat fluffing up it's tail and neck and showing it's claws.

He smiled pleasantly at his master, closed his book, took of his glasses and then got up to walk over to the enraged beast. His approach was viewed with suspicion. He took up a position behind the Duke and the young man craned his head to keep an eye on him. 

Robert gently laid his hands on his master's shoulders and began kneading them. At first the tense muscles refused to yield but then Thomar just slumped and let his head hang, relaxing. With the worst of his resistance dealt with, Robert helped the Duke out of his jacket and then continued his firm massage, working with practiced ease.

Thomar offered no explanation for his early appearance and Robert didn't ask. He was sure he would learn in the morning from some servant what had riled his highness so much.

Mentally he was going through a list of things to do to pacify the Duke. Massage first, then maybe a bath. He had probably skipped dinner again, working, so serving some appetizers at the bathtub would help to make him realize how hungry he was. Then a proper dinner. That would take Thomar's mind firmly off his duties which meant next up would be a vigorous sexual workout. The Duke was inventive and curious in bed and had the advantage of the short recovery times of youth. Sometimes Robert was hard pressed to keep up, but he had experience on his side.

"Robert...?" The Duke's voice pulled him out of his musings and he realized that Thomar was again looking at him over his shoulder. The smouldering rage in his eyes was gone and had been replaced by a long lashed innocence that made all warning bells go off in Robert's head.

"Yes, my lord?" he asked cautiously.

The Duke chewed his lower lip in a perfect imitation of guileless cuteness. "I was thinking... it must be pretty boring for you to always be just hanging out in the palace and waiting for me to finish with work. I really think we need to do something about that."

That sounded quite kind and considerate. Robert had no doubt it wasn't.

"Is that so, my lord?"

Thomar turned around under his hands and smiled up at him. Give him a year or two and he would grow taller than Robert but right now he still had the opportunity to sweetly glance up.

"Absolutely. I've been such a bad master. I really need to remedy that. I think we should really go out and have some fun. We really deserve that."

Robert looked down at the Duke in silence, feeling something rise in his throat that could have been panic. Of course he was much too old to be panicked by anything but he had the sinking feeling that his master wasn't thinking about a well planned excursion with a proper escort when he talked about 'going out and having some fun'.

"Well...?" Thomar asked, his cute mask still firmly in place.

"I'm really perfectly fine with staying in the palace." Robert ventured carefully and immediately that mask cracked and turned into an annoyed pout. 

"I'm not." Thomar turned away and started pacing, reminding Robert unpleasantly of a caged predator.

Which wasn't so wrong an impression maybe, taking his history into account. The late Duke of Aylian had had four children already when Thomar had been born as the youngest. Since his chances of inheriting anything had been rather low, his parents had found something useful do to with him right after his birth. 

He had been given to the Youh'Kai to be raised at one of their bloodthirsty gods' temples. These aliens had long ago invaded and occupied Aylian for nearly a century until they had been defeated by humanity in turn and been subjugated. Since then the peace between humans and Youh'Kai had been shaky at best with their home world Far'Gesh the only one they were still allowed to rule themselves. For a long time the alien race had received a treatment no better than slaves and there had been constant rebellions.

Over the last century relations had gradually improved. During the second Succession War the Youh'Kai had joined forces with house Dracon and after their victory over House Habichtswald had been rewarded. Aylian had come under the rule of a new Dracon Duke and the lot of the Youh'Kai here had improved with that. 

Then the new Emperor had forged a strong alliance with a newly discovered Youh'Kai empire that had lost contact with the racial homeworld of Far'Gesh millennia ago. The aliens had become a force to be reckoned with once more.

Thomar's father had decided that giving them his youngest son - who he really didn't need for anything else - would be a good way to strengthen the ties between the ducal family and the alien community.

So Thomar had been raised by fierce alien warriors, growing up in a remote mountain village, fully expecting never to return to his real family and not even knowing them.

One year ago the huge portal to the demon dimension had opened in orbit above Aylian. The demons - expecting to have reached just another pocket realm of their home dimension - had poured through, attacking Aylian with brutal force to crush any kind of resistance as quickly as possible. The Duke and his sons had been killed in those first few days before reinforcements arrived from the rest of the Phoenix Empire.

Then the tide of battle had been reversed in the span of just a few hours as two of the most powerful psions of the Empire had joined forces to lay waste to the demon's huge staging area behind the portal, shocking the demon's ruling caste to the core.

Realising that they had encountered something entirely new and very dangerous, the demons had changed strategy immediately. The head of the demon prince responsible for the attack had been delivered on a classical silver plate, accompanied by promises of reparations and almost subservient offers of peace and alliance.

There had been clamour for vengeance from a few quarters and the church at first had balked at making peace with demons, but the Emperor was never one to miss an opportunity.

So peace it had been. Travel between the two empires was carefully restricted, but here on Aylian, with the portal hanging in the night sky above them, glowing in an evil purple and green, it was quite lively now, a year later.

With the Duke and all his heirs dead the duchess had suddenly found herself ruler of Aylian. Even the most kind description could only talk of her as a rather brainless breeding mare and pretty accessory of the late Duke. She had coped with the sudden pressure for a few weeks, then she had been found dead, poisoned in her bed. It wasn't clear if she had killed herself or had been murdered but it had quite suddenly brought Thomar back to everyone's attention.

So he had been dragged from his remote Youh'Kai village by the Emperor's own Ruby Guards and been installed as the new Duke.

Robert had not been the young Duke's pet back then, in fact he had not even been anywhere close to Aylian. But he had heard many accounts of Thomar's first few days at court.

Everyone had expected a naive, easily manipulated and even more easily removed, untried youth. Instead they had found a young man, trained to fight and survive since he could walk, with a deeply ingrained distrust towards humans. He had also inherited the sharp mind of his father and the Youh'Kai training had honed it to a fine edge, their alien thinking making his scheming entirely unpredictable to the court.

One of his first actions had been to free several Youh'Kai rebels from the dungeons and declare them his new personal guard. That had very effectively cut short most assassination attempts. He made no secret of his continued sympathy for the aliens he had grown up with and that had given him powerful allies in them.

His dealing with the demons had been vicious but brutally fair, earning their grudging respect. They respected power and ruthlessness over everything else and he had proven he possessed both.

The human court hated and feared him equally. Maybe not a great set up but certainly not the worst.

The population liked him well enough since he did his best to deal with all the wounds inflicted on the planet by the demon invasion and made sure all reparations the demons provided were distributed evenly.

Considering he was the youngest Duke ever to rule a planet in the Phoenix Empire, he was doing one hell of a job.

But under all that power, ruthlessness and alien fierceness he was also still a teenager, complete with moody, selfish wishes which were satisfied much too rarely.

Of course it wasn't Robert's place to judge his master or even have an opinion of his own. His sole job was to keep his master happy. That didn't change the fact that he also felt a keen interest in keeping him safe.

"So... what did you have in mind, my lord?" Robert ventured carefully.

"I was thinking we should sneak out of the palace and just go to some disco in the commercial district. I want to go dancing, have a drink."

That wasn't nearly as outrageous as it could have been, but still not what Robert considered a 'safe' thing for a Duke to do.

"I'm sure your captain of the guard can put together an escort and pick a suitable place even on such short notice." Robert suggested without much hope.

His master sighed dramatically. "And then I will spend the whole evening being told what to do. Not what I want. Come on, where is your sense of adventure? This will be fun."

A younger pet would probably have agreed. And it wasn't like he really had a chance of stopping the young Duke. Which suddenly made him wonder why he had been asked to come along in the first place. It wasn't like he would be much use on a disco dance floor.

Before he could voice his question his master had already stepped close to him again and put his sweet boy face back on. "Robert, please? I promise we won't get into trouble." He begged. Damn, it was hard to deny him anything when he looked like that.

"Don't you think people will recognize you anyway?" he tried a last objection.

"Not if you come along." Thomar grinned. "You are part of my disguise. You see, a young Duke with a pet like you - that draws a lot of attention. However a distinguished gentleman with a cute little pet - perfectly normal."

Robert looked down at his master in silent shock. "You want me to pretend to be your master...?" he finally asked, "But you do realize that a slave posing as a free man can be executed...?"

At that Thomar rolled his eyes and Robert realized in the same moment as his master said it how stupid his words had been. "Rrright... and who would do the executing? In case you didn't notice: I'm the Duke. I am the law."

Out of objections, Robert just shrugged helplessly.

"Okay, now that we have cleared up all that let's get going." The young Duke announced cheerfully and started pushing Robert towards their bedroom. "I have the perfect costume for you."

"You have planned all this." Robert stated with much more outrage than he actually felt. Of course Thomar would have prepared in advance. He always did in some unexpected way.

\---

 

The music was so loud it was impossible to communicate with anything but hand gestures and Robert felt like the bass vibrated right in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't familiar with this music style, to him it sounded very little like music and very much like noise. But Thomar had happily explained that this was the kind of music he enjoyed so Robert had added finding out more about it to his ever-growing list of things to update on how to please his master.

Coloured lights flashed and humans, Youh'Kai, demons and even some members of more exotic alien races filled the dance floor with rapidly moving bodies. 

Robert felt deeply grateful that he was not expected to become a part of that gyrating mass. He was allowed to remain safely seated on a comfortable couch, out of the way with a drink and occasional glimpses of his master enjoying himself dancing with various partners.

Their 'escape' from the palace had been surprisingly uneventful.

First Thomar had presented him with the outfit he had picked up for Robert. 

Normally he preferred casual wear. Slacks which accentuated his still-trim ass and legs, turtleneck pullovers that were just tight enough to show off broad shoulders but didn't reveal much skin. Dark blue and green were his favourite colours.

Now, he was wearing an elaborately embroidered, rust-red overcoat and cream-coloured dress shirt over the same slacks, and he had to admit that he looked like a completely different person. With his carefully trimmed goatee and moustache, his shoulder-length hair pulled back into a loose pony tail, he did look exactly like his young master had promised - a distinguished gentleman.

What had surprised him more was that he liked that look on himself.

The truly scary moment had been when Thomar asked him to take off the earrings marking him as the Duke's property. They were the greatest protection Robert had ever had and even with them safely tucked away in his pocket, he still felt naked and defenceless.

Thomar himself had put on simple blue jeans, a t-shirt with the faded logo of some band and heavy boots. At least he didn't dress like some Dracon pet. Robert thought that he would have been hard pressed to keep people who would want to borrow him at bay. Still, it was decidedly odd to see him wear something not black. He just didn't look like himself. Which of course was the whole point.

Then, they had left the palace via a well hidden secret passage in Thomar's private office room Robert had had no idea existed. He couldn't help but wonder how often the Duke had already slipped out from under his nose to go god knew where. The passage branched off repeatedly and probably riddled most of the palace. They had headed straight down and then followed a long tunnel to an exit that deposited them in a badly lit alley, just a few streets away from the palace.

Stepping out onto a main street Robert had hailed a hover-taxi for both of them and Thomar had instructed the driver on where to take them with the happy, innocent giddiness any pet of his age would have exhibited. He was playing his role perfectly, snuggling up against Robert in the backseat and excitedly pointing at things rushing by outside.

Robert had decided that quiet, dignified and slightly aloof would do perfectly well for his disguise and just smiled in what he hoped was an indulgent way. He was completely out of his depth, but damn him if he was going to show it.

The disco his master had picked was large and located on the fringe between the commercial district and the docks. Nobody had spared them a second glance when they had come in, apart from some appreciative checking out of Thomar.

Robert sipped his drink and tried to relax. He tried to remember other times when he had gone out with masters, but it had never been like that. The few masters who had actually taken him anywhere had demanded he stay by their side, mostly kneeling next to them, paying attention to them exclusively.

This felt weird. Almost like... almost like a free man would probably feel. He leaned back, wondering if maybe that was part of his master's plan. Thomar awarded him more freedoms than he had ever known and he did it with a casual ease, as if it was the most natural thing. He wasn't sure how well he was coping with that, but despite all the insecurity he was enjoying it.

Slowly the tension started to drain away and he really did relax. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

That was the moment he realized that it had been several minutes since he had spotted his master among the people on the dance floor. Immediately, panic made him choke as he scanned the crowd, then got up and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the young Duke somewhere.

Nothing.

Plenty of people, but none of them his master.

He made his way around the dance floor, trying to get a look at as many people as possible. Thomar had to be somewhere. Robert couldn't imagine he would just have left him here. Maybe he was just paying a short visit to the restrooms. Robert reached that area and then paused in front of the door. He couldn't really go in and look for his master. Thomar would probably laugh at him. He'd just wait here a moment and hope his master would emerge.

Deeply worried, Robert pushed his hands through his hair and straightened his coat. He would not panic!

Back here, the music was not as deafening and it calmed his nerves. Then suddenly, he heard the voice of his master, saying something and then laughing. It had come in from outside through one of the small windows high in the wall. Apparently his master was outside in an alley behind the building.

Robert had no idea what he was doing there. He had sounded amused enough but that didn't reassure him at all. Anything could happen to the young Duke out there.

After a short, frantic search he came to a heavy metal security door leading outside. He pushed it open, stepped outside and quickly made his way down the alley to where he thought he had heard his master's voice.

There wasn't much light, but when he spotted two figures leaning against one of the walls, closely entwined and obviously kissing, he still recognized the one with his back to the wall as Thomar.

That stopped him in his tracks. It certainly wasn't safe out here, but he was only a slave and that was his master there, obviously having fun. It really wasn't his place to interrupt. Maybe Thomar knew perfectly well what he was doing. After all, he was a lot more practiced at being a free man than Robert.

Unsure what to do, Robert watched as the man who was still kissing his master worked one hand into Thomar's jeans and started fondling his crotch. Robert took a slow step backwards, but then stopped again, mesmerized as he heard his master groan in pleasure. 

This was bad. Very bad.

Stumbling across them and nearly interrupting was bad enough, but watching from the dark... That was just...

Still Robert couldn't help it. He just wasn't capable of moving.

He watched as both men rubbed against each other, kissing and biting. Then Thomar was spun around roughly and braced himself against the wall while his new friend kneaded his ass. 

They were going to fuck. Right here in the alley.

Robert wasn't even sure why he was surprised. After all, his master was Dracon and that noble house was infamous for their carnal escapades. Of course his master would consider this part of a 'fun night out'.

It was the annoying prick of jealousy, Robert realized. He wouldn't have minded at all if he had been the one fucking his pretty master against that wall. But he hadn't been invited. 

Of course he had no right to be jealous. After all, he was just the pet. On closer inspection this reaction was quite disturbing and Robert realized that it would need to be examined carefully.

His interest rapidly cooling, he took another step back when he noticed that the man who was now trying to push down Thomar's jeans with one had was gesturing with the other to someone further down the alley. As two more men emerged from the murky shadows, Robert realized with horror that this was some sort of set up and these thugs had lured his master out here, probably planning on some joined 'fun' with the cute boy.

He had to do something to protect his master who still had not noticed the danger he was in. Scanning the alley his eyes came to rest on a piece of metal pipe lying on the ground. 

Before he could reconsider what he was about to do, he picked up the pipe and closed in on the thugs who were just greeting his master with a sleazy: "Hey, pretty..."

Taking a deep breath, Robert tried to steel himself and then clubbed one of the thugs over the head from behind. He was quite surprised when the man crumbled to the ground like a sack of grains. He had never attacked anyone in his life and hadn't really expected such a success. He also hadn't expected the sudden thrill running through his veins.

The one who had been fondling Thomar turned around, loudly exclaiming: "What the fuck..?!"

The other was much quicker to react and Robert's exhilaration was cut short by a meaty fist impacting with his face, sending him sprawling against the other wall of the alley, the pipe uselessly clattering to the ground. The world around him went out of focus as pain blossomed where he had been hit. 

It wasn't so much that he wasn't used to pain, he thought with detached fascination. It was that this pain was so blunt and unrefined and sudden.

Still he ought to concentrate, some part of him demanded. This was not a moment for idle musings. He tried to re-focus on his surroundings, but what he saw didn't make sense.

The man who had hit him in a loving embrace with his master, bodies locked tied together, that man jerking in pleasure. And why was he bleeding so massively? Almost like someone had slit his throat...

He blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, but apparently lost a few crucial seconds again as the next thing he noticed was Thomar, crouching in front of him, his face swimming in and out of focus but decidedly worried.

"Robert? Robert, can you hear me?"

Robert tried to nod.

Bad idea.

Pain stabbed through his skull and he grabbed at it with both hands, sudden tears stinging his eyes.

"Easy there, easy." His master's gentle voice admonished. "Let me see that."

His hands were pried away and then Thomar's cool fingers gently touched his temple.

"Minor concussion, probably." Thomar said.

Weirdly enough Robert could have sworn his voice held an approving, proud undertone.

"You tried to protect me." His master said. "That was very brave of you."

Robert's short laugh sounded more like a croak. "Not like... like you needed protecting it seems." He groaned, now feeling his temple too. He was grateful he could feel no blood. Wouldn't do to get his face scarred.

"Still." There was a serious note in Thomar's voice that made Robert look up at him. "Thank you."

It seemed his master really did mean that.

He glanced at the bodies of the men who had tried to take Thomar. They all looked very dead, their clothes soiled with generous amounts of blood. Looking back at his master he watched as Thomar routinely cleaned a vicious-looking dagger on the shirt of one of the men and then let the weapon disappear in his boot. There was no blood at all on him.

'There is no such thing as an unarmed Dracon' the voice of one of his long-gone trainers lectured in the back of his head.

Indeed.

"Here, let me help you up." Thomar offered his hand to him and Robert gladly accepted, slowly getting to his feet, bracing against the wall. His head was still spinning.

"I think that's enough fun for one night, don't you agree?" his master suggested, gently leading him through the alley back to the front of the disco.

Robert agreed, but refrained from nodding.

"I'm sorry," Thomar said softly before they reached the lights at the front, "I promised we wouldn't get into trouble. That was my fault. I was careless."

"Just... don't do it again... okay?" Robert bravely ventured, not very devote-pet-like at all.

"Promised." His master answered.

Unfortunately, Robert knew him well enough to be quite certain he was lying.


	4. A Small Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke Thomar reacts badly to someone taking liberties with his pet.

Robert was trying to remember when he had last felt so tired, sore, dirty, used and at the same time shamefully satisfied as he did while slowly making his way back to his master's rooms.

Definitely after that party his third owner had thrown to celebrate his acquisition with all his friends. But back then he had still been young and had been kept locked away for most of his life. Though, looking back at that evening now, it had been rather harmless fun really.

During his brief stay with that noble who had put his pets on display on a theatre stage to be fucked by all comers? No, that had only been degrading, painful and a bit boring.

Maybe when he had been on loan to that Serin Dracon who enjoyed watching his pets getting fucked by his "stud", a slave he had had specially modified for size, stamina, texture and curve. Yes, that had definitely held that same sense of "shameful fulfilment".

Robert chuckled soundlessly.

"Fulfilment" indeed.

He winced as his guts reacted with a painful cramp to his laugh.

'No laughing', he admonished himself.

But none of those admittedly interesting experiences had prepared him for the sheer alien feeling of several things moving inside of him at once. Who would have though that demon would hide that many, so amazingly flexible tentacles under its unassuming robes?

A shudder ran through Robert as his body remembered the last few hours. What an instructive afternoon it had been. Apparently even a pet of his age wasn't past learning new tricks.

Still he was feeling his age now. All he longed for was a long soak in a hot bath and a strong drink. As interesting as the experience had been, he still felt soiled somehow. A notion he had considered himself long beyond.

He sighed relieved when he reached the Duke's quarters and slipped inside, heading straight for the bathroom.

"Where the HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" the voice of his master stopped him in his tracks.

Robert was surprised both at the fact that Thomar was home already since he was supposed to be at some cocktail party and at the barely suppressed rage in his tone.

Turning around he found the young Duke stalking towards him, his eyes dark with anger and his hands balled to fists. Confused, he just blinked at his master, not sure what he had done to suddenly be on this unpleasant side of Thomar's temper.

While he was still trying to come up with some suitable answer, Thomar already grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down, sniffing at him.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?!" the Duke then exclaimed, his voice rising in volume another notch.

Robert had no idea what he was so surprised and upset about. After all he had ordered this.

"My lord...?" he finally managed to give voice to his confusion.

Second later he was on the floor, slapped so hard that his ears where ringing. It had been so quick he hadn't even really seen his master move.

Finally, years of training kicked in and he assumed a kneeling position as quickly as the fact that he still felt plenty sore and abused and that he was seeing stars allowed. In that moment, he was very grateful that some things were ingrained so deeply he could have done them even in much worse condition. Back straight, wrists crossed behind it, head lowered. It came quite naturally.

"Answer my fucking question: Where have you been?!" his master hissed, obviously not impressed.

"I have been with the Lord Tss'lath, master." Robert answered flatly, his mind racing as he tried to find out what he had done wrong.

He did not resist when Thomar grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head up so he looked each other in the eye again.

"Why?"

The question was spoken softly and Robert could have sworn there was genuine hurt in his master's voice but that was probably his hurting head playing tricks on him.

"He made use of me, master." That would have been the correct answer but for some reason Robert added: "Just like you ordered."

That made Thomar eyes light up with fresh rage. "I ordered no such thing!"

Robert blinked at him in confusion. That would of course explain the young Duke's dark mood.

"But..." he stammered, his mind suddenly feeling muddled, "he said... you had said..."

"And it didn't ONCE cross your mind to verify this with me?!" Thomar shouted angrily. "When have I EVER shared you with ANYONE, let alone a fucking DEMON LORD?!"

Now that he spelled it out loud it really didn't make much sense. But the thought of questioning the demon hadn't even crossed Robert's mind. It had felt so logical and correct then.

"I... I don't know..." he muttered helplessly and confused.

Strangely that caught Thomar's attention and suddenly his face changed from murderous rage to thoughtful. He crouched down in front of Robert and took hold of his chin.

"Hold still." He ordered, much calmer now and gazed into Robert's eyes intently.

Immediately Robert felt vertigo, his floor feeling like it was tipping to the side. When Thomar let go of his chin, he wasn't able to maintain his position and crumbled to the floor, feeling sick.

Whatever Thomar had seen seemed to have diverted his wrath from Robert for the moment, though, as he started pacing restlessly.

Robert felt like retching but with iron self control he managed to pull himself together again, he was just trying to get back into his kneeling position when Thomar addressed him again.

"I expect to find you in my bed when I get back." He commanded calmly.

Then he strode out of the room. Before he closed the door to the suite Robert heard him tell the guard outside: "Make sure he doesn't leave these rooms."

Robert closed his eyes, trying to find some measure of composure again. He was still feeling dizzy, his head hurt from the hard slap and he was still sore and dirty from the demon lord's attention. But apparently a long hot bath what out of the question. He would do well to quickly get back to his feet and clean up at least a little so his master would find him in a pleasing state when he got back.

He had never been on the receiving end of the young Duke's temper before but now that he had encountered it he was very sure he did not want a repeat of the experience. And it looked like he would have to work hard to get back on his master's good side.

With a groan he forced himself to get up and make his way to the bathroom. If only his thoughts weren't so muddled he might have been able to consider how best to charm his way back into his master's good grace.

-

The palace guard standing outside of the guest quarters currently occupied by Lord Tss'lath, trade representative of the demon embassy on Aylian, felt distinctly uncomfortable.

The door stood wide open and he could clearly hear the voice of the Duke inside.

"There really is no need to apologize, my dear lord." The Duke was just replying to the slightly incoherent begging of the demon lord. "I understand perfectly well. You need to test how far you can go with me. You must test what I will let pass and where I will draw the line. I respect that."

His calm voice was interrupted by a high pitched screech of pain from the demon lord.

The guard tried to close his ears to the rather one-sided conversation, but he didn't quite manage.

"I'm sure your ambassador will greatly appreciate the length to which I am willing to go to educate him on exactly WHERE and HOW I draw that line." The Duke continued coldly.

Then the demon lord screamed so loud that his voice echoed down the corridor and made everyone in hearing range flinch and duck their heads. Everyone but the Duke's Youh'Kai bodyguard, who was comfortably leaning against the wall next to the guard, with his arms folded and an evil smile on his face that showed his sharp, pointed teeth.

The demon’s scream became a howl of mindless pain that went on and on and on.

-

"Robert."

He came awake with a start at the voice of his master addressing him. Like the Duke had ordered, he was in his bed. Naked, cleaned up and uncovered.

He should also have been wide awake and ready to serve his master as soon as he came back to his suite, but hours had passed and Thomar had not returned. Robert had tried hard to stay awake, using every trick he had ever learned, but at some point he must have nodded off anyway.

How else what it to be explained that his master was now sitting on the edge of the bed?

He had even turned on the bedside lamp so Robert could see him clearly. He looked tired, weary but also calm and not angry anymore. But his look wasn't anything Robert was willing to bet his future on.

Mentally shaking off the fog of sleep he started to rise to put himself in a more pleasing position but he was immediately pushed back by the Duke's gentle hand on his chest.

Confused he watched as Thomar gathered up the blanket which Robert had carefully folded at the foot of the bed and then covered him with it.

"You must be getting cold." Thomar said.

It was true, but Robert didn't trust this sudden switch to caring and kind. From lowered lashes he suspiciously watched his master, waiting what would be next.

The young Duke sighed deeply and then rubbed his face with both hands.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

That was definitely unexpected. Masters didn't apologize. Especially not Dracon.

"I was very worried about you." Thomar continued. "The demon had blocked the emitter in your slave collar, so I wasn't able to locate you. I thought something bad must have happened to you." He laughed without humour. "But I wasn't so wrong about that, was I?"

On the other hand a good slave should always apologize to his master, no matter if he had done anything wrong or not.

"I'm sorry, master." Robert said quickly. "I should have checked back with you. I..."

He was cut short by Thomar shaking his head. "You couldn't. He put a mesmer on you. Had you wrapped around his claws."

Now Robert looked up at him in surprise. That would of course explain why his thoughts had felt so muddled. So it had NOT been his fault after all.

Thomar winced and then gingerly touched Robert's cheek where he had hit him. The pain wasn't much but Robert could tell that a bruise was forming there.

"I really am sorry." The young Duke repeated, sounding so sincere and distressed that Robert couldn't keep up his submissive slave posture any more.

"I'll be fine." He said, surprised at the amount of emotion in his own voice. 

He hadn't realized how much it meant to him that his master wasn't angry with him. No, that wasn't the point really. How much it meant to him that Thomar truly cared about him. 

A reassuring smile came to him easily.

Thomar sighed deeply, but then visibly gathered himself.

"I have something for you." He said and pulled something from the pocket of his jacket. 

It was a leather band, braided together from several cords with small pieces of bone woven in. It looked somewhat primitive. Thomar took Robert's hands, wrapped the band around his right wrist twice and then tied it off.

"This is a Youh'Kai charm." He explained. "It will protect you from demon influence as well as allow me to find you even if technological means are blocked off. I want you to never take it off."

Robert nodded, looking at the simple bracelet with new respect. The Youh'Kai gods were known to grant all kind of strange favours to their followers. Robert couldn't help but wonder what Thomar had traded for this charm just to protect his pet.

"Thank you, my lord." He said.

That brought a smile to Thomar's face. "You're welcome." He answered and Robert could tell how much he meant with those simple words.

He patted Robert's hand affectionately. Now paying closer attention, Robert noticed something dark under his master's fingernails. Something which distinctly looked like blood left over after a quick cleaning.

Noticing his gaze the young Duke studied his fingernails as well.

"Hm..." Thomar said, "You were not really supposed to see that." Then he smirked evilly. "But of course you would have heard about it anyway. You really don't need to worry about any demons stalking you in the near future. I think they have now understood that you are off limits to them."

"Oh?" The sound was out before Robert could stop it and he was quite embarrassed that it sounded so smug.

Thomar's smirk widened to a grin. "Indeed." He confirmed.

Then he rolled his shoulders and stretched. "Now you should sleep. You've been through enough today." Gently he tucked in the blanket around Robert, then leaned down and softly kissed his mouth.

For once Robert was grateful his master wasn't demanding any more services of him tonight.

"Sleep well," Thomar said. "I still have a few things I need to take care of. Don't wait up for me." He switched off the bedside lamp and got up.

He was already at the door when he spoke again.

"Robert?"

"Yes?"

"Did you give that demon lord a good time?"

"I suppose so... Why..?

"Just wondering if it was worth the price he paid..."

Then his master was gone.


	5. Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turning seventeen is an event celebrated among Youh'Kai warriors. His bodyguards decide to give Duke Thomar just such a celebration and chose Robert to be the centrepiece.

Robert stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, suffering from a sense of severe mental disconnect between what he was seeing and what he felt like.

The lingering nausea didn't help either.

There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, the remains of elaborate face paint flaking off, a scabbed over laceration on his brow and his hair was a tangled mess, alternating between sticking up and being flattened against his skull. His neck and shoulder were covered in bite marks and bruises.

Looking down at himself, he took stock of the skin at his wrists, rubbed bloody from fighting against restraints. Even the protective bracelet Thomar had given him was clotted with dried blood. His arms were relatively bruise-free, but his chest sported their own share of bite marks. The most impressive bruises though were those on his hips. Five on each side - fingerprints.

Robert gingerly poked one and laughed shakily at the pain.

Yes, he should be feeling horrible, mutilated, violated.

Fact was, he didn't. He felt splendid. He would have attributed that to still being high on those drugs, but he knew himself well enough to be sure he wasn't. His head felt scarily clear. The sex of last night had been the best of his entire, long life. And that was due to the fact that he had not held back, had completely lost control of himself.

He shuddered.

If there was one major downside to those strange drugs they had given him it was that they didn't mess with his memory. He clearly recalled each detail. Everything he had said.

Robert closed his head and leaned his brow against the cool surface of the mirror.

He should be horrified. A huge part of him was horrified. A smaller part was desperately hoping his master would forgive him. Would blame those blasted Youh'Kai. A tiny little part of him dared to hope his master might actually have enjoyed the night as much as Robert had.

And it had all started so innocently.

One week ago Thomar had turned 17. That still made him the youngest Duke in the Phoenix Empire. The fact that he was unmarried, after more than one year still alive and also controlling the only access point to the huge potential new market of the demon empire had provided ample incentive for nobles and commoners from all over the place to sent him all sorts of gifts and sent along potential brides, husbands and of course guests who had invited themselves.

The result had been endless receptions, social events and some proper Dracon style parties, complete with orgy, bloodshed and general mayhem.

Robert had been allowed to attend the receptions and social events and had been firmly forbidden to show his nose at the parties on grounds of Thomar not wanting to be forced to execute everyone in attendance for laying a finger on his precious pet while completely stoned or drunk. 

That his master had returned reeking of sex and very tired from said parties had served to re-awaken the intense jealousy Robert had tried to burry since that one incident in the alleyway behind the disco. He was just the pet. He was not supposed to care who his master fucked with. He was supposed to be grateful to be excused to serve as extra entertainment at those parties.

He had still fought the urge to sneak out and attend those parties anyway to "keep an eye on his master".

It had taken all his self-control not to hound the young Duke's bodyguards for information on who his master had been fucking with and whether he had liked it.

Finally the celebrations had wound down and Thomar had kicked the last lingering guests out of the palace. Last evening, he had at last gotten back to doing some work and stayed at his office late. 

Or so Robert had believed, until the Captain of the Youh'Kai guard F'leer, T'lark and two other of the aliens had entered the ducal suite where Robert waited for his master and cheerfully informed him that two more of their mates were detaining the Duke while they had an awesome plan for the perfect birthday gift for Thomar.

Seeing the mischief in their eyes, that should have been the moment when he firmly refused to participate in their plan and sent them out. Instead he had ridiculously assumed that they just needed his advice, not his active participation.

Then they had explained their plan. Apparently it was tradition for a Youh'Kai warrior to head out with a few mates on his seventeenth birthday, raid a neighbouring tribe, capture and kidnap a good looking specimen of the young warrior's preferred gender, haul that prisoner back home and there ravish said prisoner and then sent him or her back home, heaped with gifts, the next morning. The way T'lark explained it, it seemed to be a great honour to be kidnapped and usually both young warriors involved thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.

Now of course there was now neighbouring Youh'Kai tribe available for raiding and so Thomar had been deprived of the fun. There also wasn't any good looking Youh'Kai available who Thomar fancied - which had greatly relieved Robert. It was reassuring to know that his master wasn't fucking his bodyguards on top of everybody else he seemed to be fucking with lately. 

So the aliens had decided that Robert would be the centre of their plan. They would dress him up like a young Youh'Kai warrior, including some fancy make up. Then they would tie him up on the bed for Thomar to find when he returned from his office, ready to be ravished.

That had been the moment when Robert had started - futilely - arguing that he wouldn't make a very believable young warrior, much less a Youh'Kai. F'leer had reassured him that Thomar would see what they were aiming for and appreciate the gesture.

And since they were running out of time they had cut off his further objections and T'lark had started "helping" him undress while F'leer unpacked the costume they had obtained for him. It had looked pretty genuine to Robert. Not that he was an expert on such matters but he had noticed that it was distinctly less flashy and more functional than the kind of armour Youh'Kai warriors were dressed up with in the movies. He also had to admit it was quite sexy, subtle dark leather, tight in all the right places. He had no idea how the Youh'Kai had gotten his exact measurements and in all honesty, he didn't really want to know either.

While their two friends guarded the door against Thomar getting home too early, T'lark and F'leer had helped him into the outfit, tightening buckles and tugging everything into position with a detached professionalism that had disturbed Robert more than if they had groped him at least a little.

Then they had stood in front of him, inspecting him critically. F'leer with his arms crossed, T'lark rubbing his chin.

"What can we do about that meek "come and slaughter me" look?" F'leer had asked.

Robert had felt more than a little indignant. If they had spent all their life as a pet they'd look meek too. Then again, they probably wouldn't. After all, they had not been bred to serve, but been rebels and terrorists until Thomar had recruited them to be his bodyguards out of his own dungeons. They were more the "rather die than kneel" type. They just didn't know what they were missing, in Robert's humble opinion.

"I have an idea," T'lark had replied, "you get the war paint on, I'll be right back!"

So Robert had been ordered to "Sit down and don't move!" He was good at the not moving part. Years and years of practice even though he had rarely spent such moments having his face painted with dark red and brown colours following the same lines Youh'Kai bone ridges would. By a tougher-than-nails Youh'Kai warrior who was cutely chewing on the tip of his tongue in concentration. A harrowing experience to be sure. By the time F'leer had been done Robert had felt distinctly uncomfortable with the hard length of his own cock straining against the tight leathers of the Youh'Kai armour he was wearing. Sometimes he really hated himself for what kinds of tiny things excited him.

By then T'lark had returned. The two Youh'Kai had ordered him onto the bed, tied his wrists together and then to the headboard. Of course every bed in a Dracon household came with a surplus of parts that limbs could be tied to, they had remarked quite amused.

Then T'lark had knelt next to him, smiling pleasantly.

"Open your mouth!" he had ordered. Robert would probably even have obeyed if the alien hadn't mind controlled him. T'lark had placed something extremely bitter in his mouth. "And now swallow, darling!" he had ordered, and again Robert had not been able to refuse the Youh'Kai control.

Typical that a Youh'Kai magic bracelet to help against mind control would NOT help against Youh'Kai mind control.

"Are you sure that will work?" F'leer had asked, as T'lark got off the bed and they both surveyed their handiwork.

"Absolutely." T'lark had replied happily. "Thomar won't know what hit him. D'gan has slipped some into Thomar's last drink. Just a tiny dose but it should be enough to get both of them well on their way."

"Nice!"

And then the two bastards had walked out.

At first Robert's mind had been occupied with worrying. After all there was a good chance that his master would not appreciate his bodyguards' idea of fun at all. And he might get pissed at Robert for not refusing to participate. And Robert very much never wanted to get on Thomar's bad side again.

But as time wore on he had gotten more and more restless. It had started as an itch that he just couldn't properly locate. Like it was travelling up and down his bloodstream. Of course he had realized that they had given him some kind of drug. Something to make him "less meek" - whatever their demented alien brains thought that was.

Yes, that was exactly what he had thought in that moment. Those fucking, demented, good-for-nothing freaks had drugged him and if he ever got free of those fucking ropes binding his fucking wrists he would kick their asses into next week.

It had seemed perfectly normal at the time.

As had starting to pull on those fucking ropes binding him to that fucking bed. The need to move, to do something, preferably something that involved kicking someone's teeth in had built up, making his head throb, making him feel like his blood was running through him too quickly.

Thomar had chosen that moment to return to his suite.

In retrospect, Robert realized that his master had looked slightly edgy himself. But back then, he hadn't paid attention to such details.

What he had done instead was to yell at Thomar, spitting out am amazing barrage of curses and threats if Thomar didn't immediately cut him loose. Thomar had gaped at him open mouthed and that had just served to fan Robert's rage and the heat he felt would sear him alive if no one did anything about it. So his cursing had changed in pitch. 

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me like a fucking retard or are you going to move your skinny ass over here and fuck me, you useless piece of shit?!"

Yes, that had been his exact wording.

With a groan Robert gently banged his head against the glass of the mirror, relishing the stab of pain through his skull it produced as he hit the laceration. It helped ground him in reality.

Considering his state of mind, his wording had still been pretty eloquent.

Thomar's response had been less so. It had been an unintelligible snarl. With one smooth move, he had been on the bed, grabbing Robert's head by the hair and kissing him hard. He had responded in kind, first kissing back, then capturing Thomar's lower lip between his teeth and biting down until he felt the coppery taste of blood. He had been rewarded by a surprised yelp of pain. It had sounded sweet to Robert.

The hard slap he had received in return had not fazed him and he had grinned at Thomar, hissing: "Is that all you have, little boy?"

What had followed was a lot of frantic pulling at much too clingy clothes on Thomar's part and constant taunting and jeering on Robert's part until finally Thomar had worked free the most necessary parts of them.

"Shut up, just shut the fuck up!" his master had growled at him.

"Or what?" Robert had taunted him again.

And then he had screamed as Thomar shoved his cock inside of him without any kind of preparation. The pain had been exquisite and oh so welcome. They had stared at each other angrily for a moment, neither of them moving.

Robert had been the first to move again, certainly not in a way Thomar had expected though. He had slammed his head forward, his brow impacting with his master's in a dull thud that had momentarily stunned both of them.

That had been the last straw. With a howl of rage Thomar had started fucking him with the furious determination of someone who needed to prove who was at the top of the food chain. Robert had given back as good as he got, bucking up against his master.

At some point he had finally managed to tear loose the ropes binding him to the headboard. His wrists still tied together he had still managed to wrap his legs around his master's hips and topple his master so he came to be on top. For a while he had ridden him, setting his own brutal pace with Thomar helplessly gasping under him.

Then it had been Thomar's turn again as he shoved Robert off, only to turn him over, pull him up on his knees and enter him from behind.

Since that had always been one of his favourite positions Robert had stopped fighting at that point and just given himself over to be pounded. He had loved it, every second of it. The bruising grip of Thomar's hands on his hips. Pushing back, trying to impale himself even further with each forceful thrust of his master. Feeling possessed in every sense of the word. 

And it had lasted. Oh, it had lasted a gloriously long time, neither of them tiring - probably another side effect of the drugs they had been given, Robert mused, now that his head was clearer again.

Finally the mounting tension had grown too much for both of them. It had started as a tingle that ran down Robert's spine, winding him up tighter and tighter it had pooled in his cock and balls until he groaned every time Thomar pushed into him. Coming had felt like shattering.

Thomar coming was the one thing he couldn't clearly remember since he had been too absorbed in his own intense orgasm.

After that they had collapsed and fallen asleep in the mess of blood, cum and tangled clothes and sheets their bed had become.

Until Robert had woken up about half an hour again feeling intensely sick. He had just made it to the bath room before he threw up.

And now here he was.

The nausea was receding and all in all - it had to be said again - he felt splendid.

As always, he missed the soft footfall of his master and only noticed him standing in the doorway to the bathroom when he softly called his name.

"Robert?"

For a moment longer Robert remained with his brow leaning against the now not-so-cool-anymore mirror. But there was no point in putting off the inevitable. He'd have to face his master. So better do it sooner than later.

He turned around slowly, gasping softly as he took in the state of the Duke of Aylian. They were a matching pair. Dark circles under bloodshot eyes, scabbed over laceration on the brow, bite marks and bruises all over. The only two differences were that Thomar was missing the flaking war paint and the finger print bruises on the hips.

Robert's mouth was still working soundlessly to find some kind of fitting apology when a sheepish grin spread on his master's face.

"That was... pretty awesome." He stated to Robert delight and horror.

Thomar prowled towards him. Standing in front of Robert Thomar softly trailed his fingers over the various marks he had left on his slave's body. 

"I'd say I'm sorry but I guess we are pretty much on an even score, eh?" Thomar smirked.

Then his fingers came to rest on the finger prints on Robert's hips, perfectly matching them. As he slightly increased the pressure, pain bloomed anew and Robert couldn't help but arch into that touch with a throaty growl.

Before he could change his mind he grabbed his master by the hair and kissed him, hard and demanding like he would never have dared before, putting all his passion and pleasure and gratitude into that one kiss.

When he pulled back Thomar was gasping for breath, wide eyed and shuddering.

"Yeah, pretty awesome." Robert repeated.

Now it was his turn to smirk as Thomar was for once speechless. Then he turned and strolled out of the bathroom with the exciting feeling that there would be some subtle changes in their relationship.


	6. Pleasure Cruise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke Thomar decides that he and Robert deserve a vacation

Three weeks had passed since Thomar's memorable seventeenth birthday. Three weeks in which nothing really important had happened. Or at least so it would have seemed to a casual observer. Even the Duke himself would probably have said that nothing had changed. Robert would have disagreed.

The changes were small and probably insignificant to anyone else, but to Robert they meant the world. For the first time in his life, he was relaxing his iron self control, his constant vigilance to be exactly whatever it might be that his master expected him to be. He hadn't even realized how much attention he had spent on this until he gradually reduced the amount of "being what was expected" and increased the amount of "being himself".

Granted - being himself was really just a tiny sliver since there was so little he was sure was himself. But those small bits made him feel content in a way unheard of before.

One of these little indulgences was that he had quit dragging himself out of bed at first sunrise to get up together with his master.

The young Duke was always in a rush, simultaneously putting on his clothes, discussing his schedule with his bodyguards and advisors, drinking coffee and flipping through notes already. Mostly, Robert had just sat there, blinking owlishly while trying to at the same time smile pleasantly and look available. There had been absolutely no point in him being there since Thomar never had need of him. But a perfect pet got up with his master. A perfect pet was always attentive.

One morning he had made the conscious decision to just stay in bed, roll over and bury his head under the pillow when his master got up.

Thomar hadn't commented.

Not on the next day either.

On the third day he had taken the time to languidly kiss Robert before he left the bed and had even quietly closed the door to the bedroom, shielding Robert from the hubbub of guards and advisor's in his main room. That had become the normal routine.

Maybe a perfect pet just meant something entirely different to Thomar than to the rest of the world.

So Robert's breakfast time had moved to somewhere close to lunch - a time when he was actually hungry and ready for a proper breakfast instead of eating way too early and way too little and then feeling slightly grumpy about it all day until he had his first drink around noon.

The first few of those late breakfasts had felt like he was doing something decidedly naughty. Ordering toast, scrambled eggs, fried bacon and whatever else he fancied and getting his breakfast delivered to have on the small balcony outside Thomar's private study. Eating, drinking coffee, reading the morning newspaper while he had an entertaining view over one of the busiest courtyards of the palace. It was so thoroughly enjoyable it had to be naughty.

There had been no repeat of their feral sexual escapade so far, but that was maybe more due to a lack of time than a lack of interest. The young Duke had just been very busy with dealing with the fallout from his many birthday guests. A thousand trade agreements to settle and political manoeuvring from demons as well as nobles based on other worlds than Aylian. Mostly he just dropped into bed like a log once he came home late at night.

So far, Robert had not gathered the courage to force the issue but he was slowly getting there.

Now that he had had a taste he realized he was hungry for more.

Not that they hadn't had great sex before. Just then it he had never really considered what he wanted for himself, what he enjoyed. He had always let Thomar take the lead, had tried to please his master, not himself. That was a direction he intended to explore. Carefully. Of course. Once he managed to get a hold of his master in a remotely awake state and had the guts to do it.

With a soft sigh, Robert took the last rasher of fried bacon from his plate and stuffed it into his mouth. Everything was more bearable with bacon. Especially with extremely expensive bacon, imported from Malicorn and produced by genuine Malicorn pigs which was without a doubt the best pork to be found in the Phoenix Empire.

He looked up in surprise when he heard the door to the ducal suite open. This was definitely an unusual time for his master to be returning.

"No, Thomar!" F'leer's voice. "Absolutely NO!"

Followed by the young Duke himself: "Robert? Where are you?"

"Out here, my lord." Robert answered, half rising already to meet his master when Thomar stepped outside himself with the Captain of his bodyguards on his heels.

Whatever they were arguing about, it had to be pretty serious judging from the frown etched into F'leer's brow.

"You can't forbid me to go, you know?" Thomar told F'leer and dropped into the chair opposite Robert, looking harried, tired and stubborn.

"I bloody well can forbid you!" F'leer planted his fists on his hips, reminding Robert of a mule digging in his hooves. Then he turned his attention on Robert. "You tell him, pet!"

"Tell him what, sir?" Robert asked carefully avoiding eye contact with the angry Youh'Kai by picking up his coffee cup.

Before the Captain got a chance to answer, Thomar already chimed in. "I've decided I need a holiday. I've been working my ass off for nearly two years now. I need a break."

That didn't sound too exotic. So it probably wasn't even half of what Thomar planned.

"Why don't you also tell him the rest of it?" F'leer glared at the young Duke.

"I'll never be able to relax with my faithful bloodhounds around." Thomar waved his hand at the outraged Youh'Kai. "So we'll go on a pleasure cruise without them."

"And?" F'leer spurred him on.

"And since of course a Duke can't just go off like that without any protection I'll be going incognito, with me posing to be your pet." Thomar grinned insolently at Robert, who was suffering a nauseating feeling of déjà vu.

"You can't expect your pet to take on that kind of responsibility, Thomar!" F'leer admonished the young Duke.

His patronizing tone struck a bad nerve with Robert. "Actually, sir, I don't see what you are so worked up about. I'm sure my master knows perfectly well what is best." He meekly said, drawing open mouthed stares from both Thomar and F'leer for a moment.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" the Youh'Kai hissed while Thomar relaxed back into his chair and picked up a left over slice of toast, smiling at Robert gratefully. Just that smile was worth a lot to Robert.

"See, we'll be perfectly fine." Thomar said.

F'leer replied with an unintelligible snarl, turned on his heels and stalked off.

Thomar waited until the door had slammed shut behind him. "Are you really okay with this?" he then asked, "I promise this time we really won't get in trouble."

Robert grimaced. "Please don't say that, my lord. It just reminds me of all the things that could go wrong."

His master nodded solemnly.

"So how long will we be going?" Robert asked since he was quite sure Thomar would already have prepared all the details.

"Only a week. That is the longest I can leave for, without everything breaking down." Thomar sighed. "It will have to be enough. We'll be leaving in a few days so you may wanna start packing appropriate costumes."

A whole week. Alone with Thomar on a pleasure cruise. With Thomar posing to be his pet. Robert's mind reeled with all the decidedly sexual opportunities that would present. Suddenly he wasn't that worried anymore. After all - what could really go wrong? His master was quite capable of defending both of them, of that he was sure.

\---

 

The 'Aurora Aida' was neither the biggest nor the most famous pleasure cruise spaceship in the Phoenix Empire. It was, however, one of the most luxurious and probably the most exclusive one. It was the only one where the guests were not picked by the size of their bank account, but by personal merit. 

That was a necessity though since it catered to a very special crowd. It offered owner/pet holidays for those owners who wished to spoil their pets and wished to do so in an environment where they could just let their pets run free without any fear of nasty people preying on them. So only guests who were known for treating their pets well and indulging them were allowed on board.

Apparently, Thomar numbered among this exclusive group since he had secured a one week stay for them. He had assured Robert that 'appropriate people' on board knew who he really was before they switched roles.

If Robert had known in advance what kind of faked identity his master had set up for him this time, he might have agreed with F'leer that this was a very bad idea. But when Thomar had informed him that he would pose as a very wealthy, bored baron of a minor house from Chiraz, it had been too late since he had already sided with his master on the matter.

Punishments for a slave posing as a free man were harsh. Punishment for anybody posing as a noble was brutal and always fatal for the offender. Of course, he had been ordered by a Duke to do it, but they were not on Aylian now, where Thomar's jurisdiction was absolute. It was quite scary and his master's complete lack of worry didn't help to alleviate his fears.

And then, of course, there was the disturbing feeling of not wearing any earrings. Robert couldn't help but wonder how free people coped with this complete lack of a sense of belonging and protection. To him it felt like he had been cut lose from all ties and was helplessly drifting without direction. The earrings were just a physical representation. He still belonged to Thomar. He still caught himself repeatedly feeling his earlobe, missing the familiar weight, slight as it might be.

Now it was too late for complaints, anyway. A few minutes ago, they had been ported from Aylian to Nabuco and now they were ready to step up to the porter platform yet again to be whisked up to the 'Aurora Aida', which was waiting in orbit for her passengers.

The pleasure cruiser was too fragile to make hyper jumps from system to system herself. She stayed in one system for a few months, making tours of the various sights like sun storms, pretty moons or whatever phenomena were available and then the whole ship was ported off to another system to repeat the process.

Robert had used the short stop at Nabuco spaceport to study the posh brochure about the 'Aurora Aida' Thomar had handed him. Basically she was more a flying habitat than a spaceship. There was a central, transparent dome which housed something that the brochure described as the lagoon, a large lake with sandy beaches and actual palm trees around it. It also held various small restaurants and bars where the guests could relax, eat and enjoy the spectacular view overhead. Around the huge central dome, smaller ones were arranged, housing the guest quarters and a plethora of recreational facilities. Crew quarters, service facilities and the actual machinery were built under the domes and had reversed gravity which apparently strengthened the stability of the whole structure. It made no sense to Robert, but then he was mostly clueless when it came to technical details.

The brochure also had several glossy photos of the lagoon and guest quarters and Robert had to admit it all looked very inviting and luxurious. Especially compared to the ducal quarters on Aylian which hadn't changed their appearance since his arrival. They still looked as if Thomar had stolen most of the furniture from various places all over the palace. Not that Robert minded. Much. It had a kind of rugged charm which was very fitting for his master. But the 'Aurora Aida' would be a nice change of scenery none the less.

He looked at his master who was excitedly bobbing up and down next to him and didn't look anything like a master - or a Duke for that matter.

This time, Thomar had really gone all the way in dressing up as a cute pet. He wore a tiny white t-shirt that ended will above his navel, bleached blue denim shorts that were short enough to reveal his ass every time he moved, which he did a lot. Around his neck he wore a simple yet expensive looking gold collar. This very pet-like look was complimented with holiday flair by comfortable leather sandals and an honest-to-god straw hat. 

Robert had no idea where Thomar had picked up these pieces but he looked so exceedingly cute and delicious Robert's cock was itching and his palms were sweaty. Apart from the very real worry that he would be executed in a horrible way for pretending to be a noble, his main worry was how to keep himself from tying his master to a bed for a change and fucking him senseless. The longer he considered his master, the more his reasons for not doing just that slipped from his grasp.

Then they were politely ushered forward onto the platform and moments later they arrived on the 'Aurora Aida'. A steward in white uniform stepped up to them wearing a genuine smile.

"Welcome aboard the 'Aurora Aida'!" he said. "I am Stephan, I am your assigned steward for this trip. If you need anything at all, please let me know."

"Oh my god! I can't believe we are really here!" Thomar exclaimed in perfect pet manner and beamed up at Robert. "Thank you so much, master!" He was scarily believable in his adopted role.

Robert was fighting a sense of vertigo, but he managed a polite smile of his own for the steward. "We're happy to be here, as you can see." He noted, putting on a credible show of a calm noble with an over-excited pet.

"If you allow, I shall show you to your suite." The steward continued, while gesturing to some more liveried servants to take their luggage. "We will still be in orbit for about an hour until all guests have arrived." He then explained while leading the way.

The corridor they were walking down really didn't look anything like a spaceship interior. Plush red carpets covered the floor while the walls were white-washed wood with brass bolts. Small potted palm trees and ferns provided life and decoration at once. It all looked very classy, Robert realized.

"Can we see the lagoon, master?" Thomar asked, tucking on Robert's sleeve.

Belatedly, Robert realized that he needed some sort of endearment to use on his 'pet' since he couldn't call Thomar 'master' or 'my lord' anymore. Darling? Honey? No, that sounded too much like he was addressing a spouse. Sweety? Nice, but Robert knew too well how very un-sweet Thomar could be to get that over his tongue repeatedly. Love? No. Just no.

Then he had the perfect image.

"Of course, puppy. Once you have unpacked, you may see the lagoon."

It was both amusing and satisfying how his master missed a step and then blinked at him in surprise. Robert gave him his most toothy smile which was returned in kind.

-

About an hour later Robert was sitting in a small bar under palm trees. The counter was built from bamboo, the tables were rattan with glass tops and the comfortable chairs were rattan as well with thick white cushions. Some potted orchids were suspended from the palms trees. The barman behind the counter and the waiter were wearing white uniforms and polite smiles.

It was all very posh in an understated sort of way.

Robert found it rather disconcerting how much he did not feel out of place but right at home.

On the table next to his chair sat an excellent martini, complete with olive and a huge colourful fruit cocktail, complete with tiny umbrella and a straw with a paper fold-out clown face. The cocktail, of course, belonged to Thomar.

Not that he had shown any interest in it after Robert had 'helped' him pick it from the menu.

Instead he had dashed down to the beach to chuck off his sandals and tiny t-shirt and then run into the water. Now he was playing in the waves, looking like a happy child without a care in all the world. Robert had to continuously remind himself that he was watching the Duke of Aylian. He had never seen Thomar like this and he realized with a surprising pang of sadness that he had never seen him this happy.

It made him wonder for the first time how Thomar was really coping with the responsibility of suddenly being the Duke of a war torn-planet at his age. He always seemed strong, cool and in perfect control of himself and his duties. Now Robert suddenly wondered if maybe that was just a mask and he was now seeing the real Thomar for the first time. It was deeply unsettling since it didn't make Robert feel insecure, instead it made him feel fiercely protective, something he was not used to seeing in himself at all.

He watched as Thomar waded out of the water and flopped down on his back in the sand.

The urge to tie him to a bed and fuck him senseless had evaporated and instead he wondered if maybe his master wanted to be hugged now and then.

With a soft sigh he turned from these disturbing thoughts back to the deck plan of the 'Aurora Aida' he had been studying to figure out where they would have dinner tonight. With his role as Duke, Thomar had also shed all wish for being responsible for anything and left it to his 'master' - Robert - to make all decisions.

That was equal parts delight and problem for Robert. There were so many restaurants to pick from and they all sounded delightful in their own way. Finally Robert settled on what was described as a 'Jehanni pavilion' on the other side of the lagoon. They claimed to have a genuine Jehanni household trained chef. 

Years ago Robert had been in the service of a very boring van der Meer diplomat who had used him to hand out as a favour to other nobles he was negotiating with. They had spent a whole month on the huge estate of a Jehanni count on Kismet and Robert had grown very fond of Jehanni food. He hadn't had a chance to sample any of the same quality since.

It had the added benefit that it was served in small, artfully decorated pieces which were eaten with the fingers. Jehanni dined reclining on low divans. It would be nice to have Thomar snuggled up with him and feeding each other treats. At least Robert thought so. He had of course no clue if Thomar would enjoy it, but his master was never averse to trying something new.

His musing were interrupted by a gentle chiming sound and then a pleasant male voice speaking over what had to be a ship-wide speaker system.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to inform you that boarding is now complete. The engines are warming up and we are ready to depart Nabuco. For the best view of the planet we recommend the central dome, but you will also be able to have a good look from the other observation decks. We would like to take this opportunity to again welcome you all on board. We will do our utmost to ensure you have most enjoyable holidays with us. If there is anything at all you desire, please never hesitate to ask."

Moments later Thomar came bounding up from the beach, carrying his sandals and shirt, damp shorts clinging to him like a second skin and grinning happily. He dropped into the other chair at Robert's table, looking blissfully happy.

"The water is nice and warm, master." He reported. "Are you going to come out for a swim too some time?"

Robert was feeling much more comfortable where he was but he sharply reminded himself that he still was the pet in reality and that if his master wanted something it was his job to deliver it.

"Sure. That would be nice." He agreed.

He was rewarded first with a frown and than with a carefree laugh. "Master, you are such a horrible liar!"

Robert blinked. He was quite sure he had sounded sincere. His master was getting to damn good at reading him. He had no idea what to say, but thankfully he didn't have to as the engines of the 'Aurora Aida' rumbled to life. The initial noise quickly receded to a gentle hum and then the sky above the dome moved. Or rather, the ship moved.

Slowly and majestically, the 'Aurora Aida' turned, revealing a truly breathtaking view of Nabuco below, oceans and landmasses spread around the globe under a thin cover of wispy clouds. As the ship started drifting away, first one, then another of the orbital defense stations came into view like shimmering metal jewels.

Both Robert and Thomar leaned back in their chairs, looking up and silently enjoying the spectacle. 

It took the 'Aurora Aida' several minutes to accelerate to her travelling speed. They watched until the planet had shrunk to a dot behind them.

\---

 

When Robert awoke on his first morning on the 'Aurora Aida', it took him a moment to get his bearings. The bed was a little too soft and didn't quite smell right. The light - or more the lack thereof - was all wrong. He was used to sun peaking through the thick curtains in Thomar's bedroom; here there was only a slight artificial glow from a panel set next to the door in the wall.

He was actually surprised how short his disorientation was. With all the places he had called home before, it was strange that the ducal suite on Aylian immediately registered as the 'correct home'. He was truly getting comfortable with the thought of spending the rest of his life there, he realized.

It was a mixed blessing. What if Thomar ever did get tired of him? He claimed that he wouldn't and by now Robert wanted to believe it, but still - what if he did? Robert would be even older and more used up then. Who'd want him then?

Shaking his head he banished these dark thoughts and instead wondered were his master was.

When they returned to their suite the previous evening, both of them had been full of gorgeous food, slightly tipsy from the sparkling wine that had been served with dinner and quite tired. With a whole week of vacation before them, neither of them had felt any urgency to do more than drop into bed and fall asleep.

Robert had briefly considered trying to cuddle his master, but then he had remembered the results that had brought in one of the first nights he had spent in Thomar's bed shortly after his arrival on Aylian. The young Duke moved a lot in his sleep and when Robert had gotten too clingy, he had been cuffed in the jaw quite painfully. Thomar maintained it had been an accident, but Robert still wasn't quite sure if it had been. 

So he had stayed on his side of the bed every night after that incident and this night as well.

Now the bed beside Robert was quite empty and by the fact that he was feeling wide awake he judged that Thomar had let him sleep in.

With a yawn Robert switched on the light and sat up. Wearing only the pyjama pants which never failed to amuse Thomar - who slept completely naked - Robert went in search of his 'pet'. A short tour through their suite didn't turn him up, but there was a slip of paper taped to the door leading out of the suite.

The writing was big enough that Robert didn't need to start searching for his reading glasses. "At beetch. Love." It said in a childish scrawl that looked nothing like Thomar's usual neat handwriting. Under the 'Love' some sort of symbol was drawn. It took Robert a moment to identify it as a paw print and then connect it to the fact that he had called Thomar 'puppy' all evening.

Thomar was taking to his role like a duck to water, it seemed.

Robert briefly considered having his breakfast delivered to the suite, but then he decided against it. The little bar where he had had his welcome martini the previous day also offered breakfast. Having Thomar in his view would be reassuring and more entertaining as well. At least he hoped he would find his master at the beach, as promised.

After a quick shower, he put on comfortable pants, a t-shirt and a light jacket. Checking himself in the mirror he was satisfied with the 'noble on holidays' look.

The walk to the bar wasn't far since it was the hang out spot of the lagoon closest to their suite. Stepping out into the central dome Robert could already hear loud and cheerful shouting from the beach. When he reached the actual bar he had a clear view and spotted Thomar, again only wearing his sinfully short and tight shorts and his slave collar, playing some sort of ball game with another boy. 

His new friend was as lean as Thomar but already a bit wider in the shoulders which gave him a slightly more mature look. His skin was the colour of milk coffee, his hair a huge mop of black curls. Like Thomar, he was only wearing a pair of shorts and a simple leather collar, showing that he must be a pet too.

The game seemed to involve lots of running, shouting and giggling.

Since Thomar was once again perfectly happy, Robert saw no reason to interrupt. Instead, he settled in the same spot he had occupied the previous afternoon. Immediately the white-uniformed waiter bustled over with his ever present pleasant smile. What Robert found most disconcerting was that he was quite sure it was a genuine smile. Then again - this certainly was a pleasant place to work in.

Robert ordered his usual breakfast of toast, fried bacon, scrambled eggs and black coffee, supplemented with a bunch of croissants. Their smell, wafting across to him from the bar couldn't be ignored; apparently freshly out of the oven they were simply irresistible.

His coffee arrived first. Robert cradled the cup in his hands and deeply inhaled. 

His trainers, way back when he had been just a boy, had told him again and again that any sort of addiction was something a pet must not have. He had tried to heed their words. But with the years, several addictions had accumulated. Robert told himself that they were harmless. It wasn't like he was a junkie. He just needed his fix of coffee in the morning or he would be cranky. He needed his afternoon drink or he would be depressed. He needed a good fuck regularity or he would get twitchy and aggressive. Nothing too serious. Apart from the fact that he needed those things. Which of course was a bad thing for a pet.

The first sip slightly burned his tongue but that was part of the pleasure. Just as the aroma had suggested, the coffee was excellent.

With a content sigh Robert leaned back in his chair only to be startled as he was suddenly addressed by a deep male voice.

"That little minx yours?"

Robert looked up. And then up more and still a bit more. The man standing next to him was huge - tall, broad and with the well-defined muscles of an athlete. He was dressed with soft leather pants and a simple white t-shirt, showing off cheap tattoos on his arms. His blonde hair was a mane, most of it held back by a leather thong but some strands at his temple braided and tied off with tiny pierced pebbles. His beard was mostly cut short apart from two more small braids under his chin. On a leather strap necklace, he wore the impressively large canine of some predator. 

If Robert had been asked to design a poster featuring a Coron on holidays he would have looked exactly like the man. What a genuine Coron barbarian was doing on a high class Phoenix Empire pleasure cruiser however was the real question. The Coron Nations were one of the interstellar neighbours of the Empire. They too were descendants of settlers from old mother earth but where the Empire had noble houses and one ruler they were a loose alliance of planets that only banded together tightly when attacked. Many of them didn't even live on planets at all but on fleets of spaceships that travelled from system to system like nomads.

For a long time, they had raided Empire systems bordering their space but the last Emperor had negotiated a non-attack pact that was mostly observed. Now there was trade between the Empire and the Coron nations, but it was still a rare thing to see one in the Empire outside of the border systems.

Especially one speaking such fluent Imperial.

The Coron cocked his head questioningly towards the beach and Robert remembered that he had been asked a question. He followed the man's line of sight to Thomar who was still playing with his new friend.

Not sure which one of the boys the Coron was referring to he answered cautiously: "The brown-haired one is mine."

The Coron smiled in a way Robert could only call open and friendly. "I hope he plays nice." He said. "Wouldn't want my little darling to get hurt."

So the other pet was his. How entirely unusual. As far as Robert knew - which admittedly was hearsay and from holo movies - Coron didn't keep human pets.

"Thomar is perfectly nice." He lied to the other man, sounding entirely sincere. "A real puppy."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Coron shook his head, "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Mattis Keel."

He offered his hand in greeting and Robert accepted it, afraid that he would get his bones crushed in the other man's grip, but it ended up being just a polite handshake. Maybe someone looking like a barbarian wasn't necessarily one, he admonished himself.

"Baron Robert of House Eder." Robert introduced himself, managing not to wince at the fact that he was calling himself a noble.

"Would you mind, if I join you?" Mattis asked politely. "Haven't had breakfast yet myself."

He seemed nice enough, so Robert gestured to the empty chair at his table. Immediately, the waiter materialized and took the Coron's orders. Coffee was highest on his agenda as well, which made him even more likeable to Robert.

"I just got up," the Coron explained without being asked, again glancing at the playing boys, "that little beasty kept me up half of the night. He is so insatiable..." He looked at Robert curiously. "Are all imperial boys like that?"

"Well, he looks like a healthy, young pet so that's to be expected." Robert answered carefully. "You've not had him long?"

Mattis grinned a bit sheepishly and rubbed his beard. "You could say that. He's a gift. My business associates here in the Empire are trying to bribe me, I guess. They presented me with this cruise and the matching pet just yesterday morning."

The man had to have some quite desirable wares on offer to warrant such treatment, Robert mused. He also wondered how those business associates had managed to secure a passage for the Coron on this particular cruise. After all they also would have had to prove he would not hurt any of the other pets on board. Not something he was going to ask about though.

"And, is the bribery working?" he asked, amused.

Mattis laughed and Robert felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine. The man's open manner and virile look were a dangerous combination. Robert tried to shake the image of those large hands grabbing him and failed. He hid his embarrassment behind his coffee cup.

"The cruise is nice, I guess." Mattis answered his question. "But the boy just makes my head swirl. He's so sweet I want to cuddle him all day. I really should have asked my trading partners if I get to keep him after this cruise." He sighed deeply and smiled ruefully at Robert again. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'll pay them whatever they want for him... That was probably the idea right from the start."

Robert had no problem relating to his plight.

Their breakfasts were delivered to the table and they both busied themselves with eating for a while. The bacon and toast were perfectly crispy and the croissants simply heavenly. The Coron had also ordered a large plate of various sliced fruit and they exchanged fruit and croissants. Slowly Robert had to admit that being on vacation was a really nice thing when you were not the pet and supposed to serve as entertainment. Kind of.

He was just relaxing back into his chair, his belly pleasantly filled, when Mattis checked on their pets again and choked on his piece of fruit.

"Oh dear, are they allowed to do that?!" he asked, sounding worried.

Robert glanced over his shoulder down towards the beach and then felt his own mouth go dry.

He realized that it had been a while that he had heard the boys shout and now he knew why. They were lying in the sand side by side; each with one hand buried in the other's shorts and kissing passionately. It was quite obviously they were jerking each other off.

"Should we... do something...?" Mattis asked, looking at Robert. 

He was insanely cute in his helplessness. Robert suppressed a groan as all available sights turned him on.

"I think..." he said and then coughed as his mouth really didn't want to work. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I think, as long as they both want it, it's perfectly fine."

"Uh..." Mattis watched the two pets for a moment. 

They were completely oblivious to everything around them, moving against each other, Thomar's lighter skin beautifully contrasting with the darker one of Mattis' pet. They were too far away to hear but Robert had no problem imagining both of them moan with pleasure, sweat glistening on their skins...

Mattis groaned and reached below the table, obviously adjusting his pants.

"That boy is going to be the death of me." He said with a shaky laugh.

Robert joined him. Both in the laugh and the adjusting.

He silently vowed that there would be fucking. As soon as he managed to get Thomar back into their suite.

\---

The only sound in the room is the even breathing of the boy on the bed.

His eyes are closed, his long lashes painting dark smudges on his cheeks. His mouth curves in a slight smile. Under his soft hair there is the shine of a gold collar and the twinkle of an earring.

He lies on his side, his head pillowed on one elbow, his other hand loosely curled in the crumpled sheets. The lower leg stretched straight, his toes curled in the same sheets, the other leg drawn up slightly bend, hiding his groin.

He is naked.

His skin should be flawless to make the picture perfect but it isn't.

There are bruises. So fresh they are barely blooming. Bruises of hands gripping him a too hard.

The boy's master is watching these bruises angrily. The men who caused them have been dealt with. They will never again lay hand on the master's property or on anything else.

Still they have stolen from the master. The pleasure of being the first to touch the boy. The master worries they have also stolen some of what made this boy so precious. His trusting, gentle soul may harden now.

The boy is smiling now, trusting in the protection his master's presence offers, but still the master...

-

"What are you typing?"

Thomar's voice froze Robert in place, his hands hovering over the keyboard, his breath caught in his throat. He had been certain that Thomar was asleep. Either he had misjudged or the sounds of the keyboard had woken him up. The problem was that now, he was awake.

He glanced over to the bed where Thomar still rested. He hadn't even opened his eyes.

What was he going to answer now that he was caught? His thoughts were racing to come up with some boring explanation. He certainly didn't want his young master to read what he had written. His entirely misguided, demented attempts at putting into words what had been running through his head. He should have known that nothing good would come from acting on his rampant sexual urges and the need to for once take control.

With growing despair Robert realized that he was taking way too long with his answer.

"Uh... nothing...?" he stammered stupidly, immediately cursing himself for making matters even worse.

"Can I read it?"

Still Thomar hadn't moved an inch, his relaxed pose in stark contrast with his clear and wide awake voice.

Robert's hand had crept to the delete key all by itself. Get rid of the damning piece of evidence, before he finds it, a shrill voice in his head demanded. But somehow, he resisted.

Thomar had allowed him to take control, Robert was even rather sure that he had enjoyed it as much as Robert himself. Now maybe he would not push, maybe he would be strange again.

"No?" Robert answered, his voice shaky with fear, his finger hovering over the delete key.

Thomar opened his eyes, breaking the image of the pretty, harmless slave boy resting on his master's bed with the sharp intellect and curiosity now revealed.

"Oh?" he asked, sounding intrigued, but making no move. 

He studied Robert silently and Robert wondered what he saw. A mouse caught with her tail under the cat's paw probably.

Then Thomar's eyes drifted closed again.

"Okay." He said simply.

Robert stared at him with a mix of relief and exasperation. How could things be so impossible simple for Thomar that were just as impossibly hard for Robert? He laid his hand down next to the keyboard and watched it tremble and listened to the blood pounding in his ears.

It had been much easier with his head not as clear as it was now and his cock directing him.

After that hot performance on the beach Thomar and the other pet had joined their respective masters at breakfast, both displaying happy, sated smiles and being quite cuddly.

Mattis hadn't taken much of that before he excused himself. Then he had picked up his cute pet, and carried it away in true barbarian fashion with the pet giggling and waving at Thomar over his master's shoulder.

With Thomar curled up by Robert's feet, quite insistently snuggling with his leg Robert had concluded that his 'pet' wouldn't mind some more sex as well. He wasn't as strong as Mattis, so such a dramatic display of ownership as bodily hauling Thomar back to their suite had not been available to him. He had made do with pulling Thomar into his lap, kissing and fondling him a bit. He was quite sure that Thomar wouldn't have terribly minded if they had taken it further than that, but that had been too far out of Robert's comfort zone. He didn't mind getting fucked over a table by a few nobles at a party with the mob cheering, but he was incapable of doing the fucking.

So he had managed to get Thomar back to their suite before his 'pet' got his hands too far into Robert's pants.

With Thomar apparently in such a playful mood and Robert feeling way too horny, he had decided to test how far Thomar was willing to go with this whole pet charade.

Settling on the bed he had ordered his 'pet' to strip.

Thomar had hesitated only a second. Then his face had changed from surprised to indecent grin and then to cute pet.

His stripping skills left a lot to be desired, but he had made that up with pure eagerness to please and with him wearing only shorts even a professional would have been hard pressed to come up with a lengthy show.

Before Thomar had been able to pick up the reigns again Robert had ordered him onto the bed. He had gotten scared for a moment when Thomar assumed a submissive position on hands and knees without even being told to. Apart from training other pets, Robert had hardly ever had an opportunity to assume such an active role.

The only time that he had come close to fucking Thomar had been with Robert on his back and Thomar riding him, taking whatever suited him. This had been vastly different.

Robert had no idea what had been going on in Thomar's head as he knelt there, trembling under Robert's touch, leaning into it. Of course, Dracon were known to live on the kinky side of sex. But Thomar had never seemed the submissive type. His complete change to obedient, pliable toy was somewhat disconcerting.

Not that Robert had worried too much about that as it happened. It had been way too sexy to contemplate. He'd taken his time petting and preparing Thomar, but then he had fucked him as hard as any of his more brutal masters had ever fucked him.

There was a reason why bruises were forming on Thomar's hips and thighs. Robert had put them there, not some imaginary bad men. It was immensely satisfying to know that he had marked Thomar like that. It was what had gotten him to think about what it would be like if he really was the master and Thomar the pet.

While Thomar had curled up to sleep with a well fucked, happy smile on his face, Robert hadn't been able to find rest.

His imagination had run away with him. In his fantasy Thomar had turned into an innocent boy in need of protection from evil and Robert himself had turned into a powerful noble who would cherish his pretty pet and keep him safe from all harm.

He had sat at the small desk in the bedroom, drinking scotch and watching Thomar sleep. It was so easy to believe with Thomar naked, wearing that cursed slave collar, nothing giving away who he really was.

To get these crazy notions out of his head, Robert had decided to write them down. It had seemed like a good idea. Some harmless exercise to clear his mind. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Thomar could wake up and find what out what Robert was doing. Thomar was rather lenient, but Robert very much doubted that he would have appreciated Robert's mad fantasies.

He looked at the screen again, re-reading what he had written down. It was ridiculous of course. But it still touched something inside of him. 

He looked back over to Thomar who was still breathing just as regularly. This time, Robert had no idea if he was asleep or not. He really never knew with Thomar, he admitted to himself. Every single one of his previous masters had been easier to figure out than this boy.

Again, his finger hovered over the delete key. It would be much safer, of course. But Thomar had agreed not to read it. And Robert wanted to keep it. Wanted to believe Thomar. Wanted to trust.

With a soundless sigh, he hit 'save' instead.

\---

The next three days on the 'Aurora Aida' passed amazingly peacefully. Thomar didn't mention Robert's writing again and Robert was grateful that his master let it slip.

Thomar spent most of the days playing on the beach and Robert more and more got the impression that he was catching up on a carefree childhood that he must have missed completely.

Robert spent his days mostly in a comfortable deck chair, reading. To his own surprise, he also spent quite some time with Mattis at the bar. They didn't talk much - to Robert's relief since he was sure he would at some point have betrayed his true status - but instead watched their pets play in companionable silence. The big Coron was surprisingly pleasant company. 

Thomar and Mattis' pet seemed to just click and were almost inseparable after the first day. The longer Robert watched them, the more he wondered if Thomar was going to try and buy the other slave after their vacation was over. At some point it was so prominent in his mind he couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore and he asked Thomar about it.

The reaction was - as usual - not at all what he had expected. Thomar looked at him oddly for a moment, then laughed and shook his head no.

When asked what was so funny about the question he just smirked and informed Robert that he didn't have to know everything.

Faced with the options of either making himself sick with increasingly insane notions of what his young master might be hiding or just ignoring the matter, Robert forced himself to ignore it.

Evenings, they spent at the various restaurants on the ship, enjoying exotic cuisine in different settings. 

With Thomar spending so much time with his friend, his sexual appetite was moderated somewhat, allowing Robert to keep up with it. There was no repeat of the 'submissive pet' scenario, but their sex was on a much more even level than at home with switching back and forth between active and passive part. It ranged from passionate to mellow and Robert caught himself starting to think of Thomar more as a lover than 'pet' or 'master'. A dangerous thought. One he tried to suppress with rapidly decreasing success.

Robert wasn't sure if Thomar was taking them in this direction deliberately or if it was just happening without any planning. Some part of him actually considered broaching the subject with Thomar but the rest of him violently recoiled from talking so openly to his master. Especially after the cryptic non-answer about the other pet.

So far, their vacation had been quite nice. Robert's greatest fear - that someone would spot that he wasn't a noble at all and that he would die a horrible death for posing as one - had proved as unfounded as Thomar had promised.

Actually it was scary how easy it was to pretend. Robert had picked up so many mannerisms from the various nobles who had owned him that he had no problem giving a credible show. Most of the real nobles present on the cruiser were less credible than he was. So he had started to relax and not worry so much for a change.

Of course he should have known that would not end well.

He had been sitting at the bar with Mattis, drinking whiskey and eating peanuts, watching their pets play. This time the two little minxes had picked up a new toy. Another pet.

For a moment, both Robert and Mattis had been worried when they started pestering the tall, athletic black, who was using the lagoon for a vigorous swimming workout. But apparently, he didn't mind at all as he allowed the two boys to coax him to the beach. Fascinated by his ebony skin and shaved head, Thomar and his friend hadn't lost any time in wrestling the other pet down, stealing his swimming trunks and then starting to do naughty things to him.

It had been quite amusing to watch Mattis blush again.

Everything had been perfectly fine until the other pet's owner appeared. 

At first Robert hadn't even recognized the middle aged noble, wearing a traditional Jehanni robe, his black hair cut short to form a tousled mop. He had asked them with a deeply troubled expression if they had seen his pet Luther. But before they got a chance to answer he had already spotted his wayward pet, laying buried under a pile of two happy, giggling boys on the beach.

With a relieved sigh, he had dropped into a chair at their table, drained Robert's drink without asking and then immediately apologized.

He had explained that he had just woken up from his after-lunch nap to find his pet gone. He did seem wound a little tightly to Robert, but he was a noble so he had the right to be as eccentric as he pleased.

Then he had introduced himself as Prince Kerish Dracon.

It had taken Robert about two minutes to remember where he had heard that name before. By then, he had already introduced himself with his fake noble title as well.

And now he was sitting at the same table as the Emperor's half brother who he had just lied to. He really had no clue how the noble hadn't realized yet, that Robert was sweating with fear and listing to his chatting like a bunny hypnotized by a snake.

"...really do look good together." Prince Kerish was just saying to Mattis. "I wonder if you would permit me to paint your little darling with my Luther. I promise he'll be quite gentle."

"Hm... that actually sounds quite intriguing." The Coron answered with an expression that Robert had come to recognize as mildly aroused. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"I don't really have the motive yet... But it would definitely have to be that little minx riding Luther, so I have the lighter colour on top..."

"I'd want to be there when you paint them, though..."

"Of course! Wouldn't do to have the little sweety get scared without his master..."

Robert was going dizzy just with listening to them. What was he going to answer if the Prince wanted to paint Thomar getting fucked by his gorgeous black pet? 'Sorry, but it would be really inappropriate for the Duke of Aylian to be painted that way?' Hysteria was rising up in Robert and he knew it was going to bubble over really soon. He couldn't deal with this. How had he ever believed he would be able to deal with something like this?

"Master?"

Robert nearly jumped out of his skin as Thomar suddenly spoke next to him. In his panic he hadn't even noticed that he had left the happy pile on the beach and now stood next to Robert's chair.

Before Robert got out a word, Thomar already insistently tucked on his sleeve.

"Master, I think I've stepped into something sharp. It hurts..." His voice had a petulant, whiny tone Robert had never heard from him before and his big brown eyes were slightly teary. Robert noticed only now that he was standing on one foot with the other gingerly resting against his calve.

Only then did it penetrate that this was an excellent opportunity to escape.

"Oh, puppy," he choked out not very credibly, "let's go back to the suite and check, yes?"

He rose from his chair and politely bowed to the Prince who looked quite understanding. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen." This time his voice was a little more stable.

He put one arm around Thomar's hip so he could lean on him and not put too much pressure on his hurt foot.

They had just left the central dome and entered the corridor leading back to their suite when Thomar suddenly reversed the grip Robert had on him and put his foot firmly back on the ground. From one second to the other 'pet close to tears' changed to 'genuinely worried master'.

"Robert, are you all right?" Thomar asked, one hand on Robert's hip, the other cupping his cheek.

Robert blinked at him in confusion, then he closed his eyes and sagged against the comforting touch of his suddenly re-appeared master. He leaned into Thomar's caress.

"I'm so sorry." Thomar continued speaking, gently and reassuringly. "When I saw who was sitting at your table, I knew you'd get scared."

Thomar's hand was rubbing soothing circles against Robert's side while his other hand still rested on his cheek. Seeking more closeness Robert leaned his brow against his master's silently.

"Sssh... it's okay now. I've got you." Thomar's arms came up to wrap around him protectively and with sudden clarity Robert realized that his master was right. It was okay now. Thomar had noticed his distress. Thomar had come to his rescue. Thomar cared. Everything was okay.

He didn't resist as his master gently steered him back to their suite, placed him in a chair and poured him a stiff drink. Only when he had drained half of the glass in big gulps did he look up at Thomar again, who was still looked deeply worried about him.

His smile was still a bit shaky but it served its purpose to let Thomar know that he would recover.

"Thank you." He said simply.

\---

Robert smiled fondly as he carefully folded each piece of elegant clothing and put them away on the top shelf of the large wardrobe in Thomar's suite where he stored his clothes. Even though the pleasure cruise with Thomar had held some moments of panic and terror, it had also been full of good times and there were many pleasant memories attached to his 'noble costume'. Memories he intended to treasure.

Thomar had told him to unpack and store both their clothes. First, he had put away the few items Thomar had used. Not much work with a few shorts and t-shirts. Now he was working his way through his own much more extensive stack. 

They had arrived back at the ducal palace on Aylian only two hours ago, but already Thomar was back at work. Thomar had paid the extra credits for a private port directly back to the ducal suite so he had been able to change back to his normal self unobserved. It had been strange to watch him put on his black Dracon gear again, to see his face transformed from beaming, happy boy to cool, ruthless noble. He did it effortlessly.

When he left the suite to pick up his bodyguards and the reigns of his planet, there had been nothing left of the 'pet' Robert had spent the last week with.

"So how was the vacation?"

Robert looked up from his work to notice T'lark, leaning against the door frame with crossed arms, watching him curiously.

Over the last year, he had grown used to Thomar's bodyguards mostly ignoring him like a piece of furniture, but since his master's memorable seventeenth birthday and the Youh'Kais' gift to the young Duke, they had taken more interest in him. Robert still had no clue what exactly they saw in him, but for some reason he seemed to have gained a measure of their respect.

"It was good." He replied evenly, still remembering vividly how strongly F'leer, the Captain of Thomar's guards, had been opposed to the whole idea.

He knew that T'lark could easily pry into his thoughts and find out what a rollercoaster of emotions it had really been, but he hoped the alien would be polite enough not to.

"Thomar seems really happy and relaxed." T'lark said thoughtfully. "I think, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all."

Another unusual thing about Thomar's bodyguards. They each had their own opinion about things and didn't follow their Captain blindly. Sometimes Robert had no idea how Thomar put up with them.

Robert went back to his work, though he still felt the Youh'Kai's eyes follow his every move. He wasn't surprised when T'lark spoke again, but he was quite surprised about what he said.

"When I picked you up at the spaceport a year ago I didn't think he would keep you."

Robert's hands stilled, but he took his time to consider if he really wanted an answer to the question prominent in his mind. Coming to a clear decision, he looked up at T'lark.

"Why?"

The alien shrugged in a fashion Robert would have called sheepish on a human.

"I'm not sure." He answered, surprisingly honest. "I didn't know him well back then myself. You seemed dull. Used up. But apparently he saw something in you even then. You've changed." 

He smiled and with a start, Robert realized that it was not his typical, condescending alien sneer but an open, almost companionable smile.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd almost say you are growing a backbone, pet." T'lark added with a confidential smirk.

Robert frowned at him and T'lark laughed out loud.

"See? A year ago you would have been cringing if I said that about you."

Robert couldn't help it. He laughed too. The Youh'Kai was right. He wasn't so sure if it was a good thing, but apparently it was not under his control.

Taking the offered opportunity, he asked what he could never ask Thomar himself: "So do you think it is something the Duke likes?"

T'lark reaction wasn't what he would have expected. The alien snorted, deeply amused. "Gimme a break. He's besotted with you."

From anyone else Robert would have waved this off as nonsense but he was talking to an empath and telepath. So he blinked at the T'lark disbelievingly.

"Really?" he blurted, not very dignified.

"Yeah, really." The alien grinned.

"Oh."

Robert occupied himself with folding up more clothing. He had hoped and maybe even guessed that Thomar liked him, but to hear it said loud by someone he really could only believe was a different matter. It was elating and slightly uncomfortable at the same time.

"Anyway," T'lark continued once more, "what I really wanted to say is. I agree with Thomar. You're not just some cheap fuck toy. I kind of like you, actually."

Robert's own snort of amusement was out before he could stop it and since it was too late to be polite anyway, he followed up with the comment on his mind: "You really need to work on your compliments."

When he looked up the Youh'Kai was grinning at him good humouredly. "Yeah, I know. I'm trying to pick it up from you, but I suck at being nice to humans."

What a strange and wonderful thing to trade friendly banter like that, Robert thought and added aloud: "You'd make a terrible pet."

T'lark nodded in complete agreement. Then he suddenly cocked his head to the side in what Robert had come to recognize as him being contacted telepathically. The message was short as the alien focused on Robert again almost immediately.

"Thomar asks that you come to the throne room when you are finished here." He explained.

"Oh, is everything all right?" Robert asked and the chided himself for the stupid question. As if his master would call him when he was in any kind of trouble.

"Yeah." T'lark chuckled. "He misses you, he said."

Robert caught himself before he could say 'oh' a third time. His master missed him. After being parted from him a mere two hours. How entirely charming. He quickly put the rest of the clothes away. Wouldn't hurt to let Thomar wait just a tiny bit longer.

T'lark was still waiting for him when he was done and accompanied him to the throne room in a silence that felt much more comfortable to Robert than it ever had before. Suddenly, the Youh'Kai's presence was not slightly threatening, but protective.

The throne room was filled to capacity with members of court, nobles from Aylian and off-planet, demons and various commoners, each trying to get the best position to be the next to present their grievances to the returned Duke who was lounging on the throne itself in his customary position with one leg thrown over the armrest and the other drawn up, one hand casually resting on the knee. Thomar somehow managed to look attentive and bored at the same time.

Robert skirted the edge of the room, picking up a huge pillow from a chair near a window on his way. He knew exactly where he wanted to be. He stepped up to the throne from the sidelines. Immediately he had Thomar's attention who smiled up at him. Robert placed the pillow in front of the throne and then gracefully settled on it. A moment later Thomar placed the leg he had had drawn up down next to him and Robert leaned against his knee. Another moment later, he felt his master's hand possessively caress his neck and then rest there.

There was no visible reaction from the assembled people, but Robert sensed the subtle shift at this open display of affection. It was quite satisfying.

He let his eyes drift half closed, not paying much attention to the proceedings. 

He was content. If this vacation had taught him one thing, it was that he was not cut out to be a master or even a free man. He liked not being responsible. He liked being cared for. He liked being owned. He loved being Thomar's pet.


	7. Fruit Cocktail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomar is hungry, Robert needs some hints

Robert looked up from his latest romance novel as the door to the ducal suite opened to admit his master. 

He was seated in his armchair at the burning fireplace, huddled under a woollen blanket. Early autumn in the capital of Aylian usually was still pleasantly warm, but this year had brought an uncomfortable chill. 

Thomar had explained that this was a problem caused by the gravitational pull of the demon portal hanging in orbit messing with the climate. Apparently someone very important named Lady Beverly was working hard on correcting the issue, but it was all very complicated and would not be fixed before this winter. Which promised to actually bring snow to the capital, a rare occurrence indeed.

All Robert had understood was that it was fucking cold, would get even colder and would stay that way for a few months.

Blinking somewhat owlishly through his reading glasses Robert watched his master carry a huge bowl filled with various types of fruits over to him. Thomar was home from work early and that usually meant he was so fed up with his duties that he could either walk out or start shooting people. However his smile looked decidedly indecent and made Robert discount that theory.

Thomar placed the fruit bowl on the low side table next to Robert's armchair. Then he pushed Robert's feet of the foot stool and inappropriately settled himself there, smiling up at his pet.

Robert carefully took off his reading glasses and placed them on the table with his book. His master obviously wanted something, but as usual Robert wasn't sure what it was.

"How was your day, my lord?" he asked, trying to gauge Thomar's mood.

"Pretty nice, actually." Thomar drew the vicious looking Youh'Kai dagger he always carried concealed in his left boot, picked up an orange from the bowl and started pealing it. "I was stuck in a meeting between Bishop Claudius of the Belligra and Ambassador Brassion for the last three hours and got to listen to them yelling at each other while entirely ignoring me." He explained, dropping the orange peal to the ground and then cutting out a ripe piece and sucking it into his mouth from the blade. "They didn't even notice when I left."

"I see." Robert said. It was of course exceedingly impolite for the Duke to slip away like that. But Thomar knew that perfectly well himself.

"So, I thought I'd come home and see how my favourite pet is doing." Thomar discarded the rest of the pealed orange and picked up a mango instead. Again his dagger went to work, this time with juice dripping over his fingers.

"I'm good, thank you, my lord." Robert replied politely. He was not quite sure where his master was leading with this seemingly innocent conversation.

"You do look a bit cold." Thomar eyed him thoughtfully, sucking mango juice from his fingers. "I've been wondering if we should find someone to fix the central heating of the palace." He popped a piece of mango into his mouth and then continued sucking on his fingers with obvious relish. "Not sure if it's worth the effort if the climate is fixed by next winter though."

"I'm sure we can make do until then." Robert said. It was kind of hard to concentrate on the conversation when his master was such a pleasant distraction.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Thomar discarded the half eaten mango as well along with the dagger and started rummaging in the fruit bowl until he produced an already cut piece of water melon. "And the cold has some advantages too, eh? Snuggled up under blankets, sharing warmth..." 

Thomar bit into the piece. Melon juice ran down his chin and he spent some time mopping it up with his fingers and then licking them clean.

Robert watched hypnotized. He was slowly getting an idea of what his master wanted but he felt it was safer to ask first. Only how to phrase that question?

"So... anything in particular I can do for you tonight, my lord?" he finally asked, while Thomar picked up a handful of strawberries from the bowl.

"Hm... actually... yes." Thomar lasciviously licked the first fruit and then bit off half of it. "You know... I really enjoyed that afternoon on the first day of our vacation." He sucked the juice from the rest of the strawberry. "When you fucked me so hard I thought you'd split me in half."

Robert made a choked sound. Doing it when half crazed with lust was one thing. Having his master talk about it and demand more of it another thing altogether. Then again Thomar was doing a great job at getting him to that half crazed with lust state again.

"And since you seem to need some inspiration..." The next strawberry followed, this time including Thomar smearing red juice over his lips and licking himself clean with his terribly agile tongue.

By now the blanket as well as the fire seemed way too hot for Robert's liking. He felt heat pool in his groin as Thomar grinned up at him, sinfully sexy in his black Dracon clothes and that innocent face with eyes that promised pleasure as far from innocent as possible.

"You think you can repeat that performance?" Thomar asked, turning his attention back to the fruit bowl.

This time he reached for a banana, but Robert's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist before he could pick it up. Discarding any kind of careful considerations Robert got to his feet and pulled his master against himself hard. He was rewarded with a breathless laugh full of delight from Thomar. He captured his master's mouth in a demanding kiss and tasted the amazing fruit cocktail with Thomar's very own taste as a cherry on top.

"Oh yes, I think I can." Robert growled and then propelled his master towards the bedroom. "Strip! And this time, make it slow!"


	8. The Cruel Bride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Lady Jelena Dracon of Serin presents a valid wedding promise contract between herself and Thomar, sacrifices must be made to prevent her from becoming Thomar's wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra Warnings: Torture, rape, het (kind of)

"I swear if they weren't dead already right about now I would be starting to plot their murder!"

Thomar stalked back and forth in the small space in front of the desk in his private study like a caged predator. To say he looked furious would have been a major understatement.

Robert kept a respectful distance from his enraged master, sitting on a small couch that took up the space between two crammed bookshelves. F'leer was of course much braver and leaned against the desk with his arms crossed and his trademark frown.

"I just can't believe they sold me TWICE!" Thomar snarled.

Privately Robert thought that it has been a brilliant move by Thomar's parents to get maximum use of their otherwise superfluous youngest son. He would never say so out loud. And even he had to admit that the results of the young Duke's late parent's actions were anything but pleasant.

"Why would she have wanted to get a marriage promise for you of all people anyway?" F'leer asked.

"She probably has a whole box of such promises to pick from, all collected on the off chance that one of her prospective husbands would one day be worth marrying." Thomar shrugged. "If I had never become anything important we'd never have heard from her."

"I still don't get why we can't just kill her." F'leer growled.

Of course he wouldn't. Politics and etiquette weren't exactly he strong side.

"Because she is lower in rank than I am." Thomar said. "I need a good reason to kill her or it will make me look weak."

"And the fact that she holds a marriage promise signed and sealed by your parents is no reason?" F'leer asked incredulously.

"It's a reason to want her dead but no reason to murder her." Thomar tiredly rubbed his face, stopping his pacing. "She would have to commit a major crime here on Aylian to fall under my jurisdiction or really badly insult me so I can challenge her to a duel. But you can bet your ass she will be very careful not to make such a blatant mistake."

"Right. So why don't we have her assassinated?" F'leer asked the next obvious question. "There must be a score of demons who would be delighted to do you the favour of making her disappear without a trace."

"Same reason. She is a guest at my court and under my protection and since I obviously have reason to want her dead it would make me look weak, if she disappears or winds up murdered." Thomar explained.

F'leer's frown deepened. "So now what? You marry her and murder her after?"

"NO!" In a display of helpless aggression Thomar kicked the desk. "If I marry her there is a good chance she will have me murdered before I can kill her. She is really practiced at it. She started out as a very minor baroness and has married and murdered her way up to a quite wealthy, influential countess. None of her husbands have survived the first day after they married her. She has been applauded by all her peers for her flawless execution of Dracon customs."

"Okay, let me get this straight," F'leer said, his voice sounding dangerously strained now, "she can kill you as soon as you have married her and you can't do a damned thing about it because she is lower in rank and has a right to kill you by Dracon traditions?"

"I can't do anything obvious about it." Thomar snarled back. "I have to come up with something cunning, ruthless that will gain me the respect of other Dracon."

"That is completely fucked up!" F'leer stated.

"Thanks for your contribution, Captain Obvious!" Thomar hissed back and then started pacing again.

Robert started silently counting in his head. So far he had never gotten past thirty before either Thomar or F'leer snapped something angry again.

There was a slight change in procedure this time as Thomar suddenly stopped.

"If I could get my hands on that document my stupid parents signed..." he mused, "I have a pretty good idea how to alter it so she won't want to go through with this marriage."

Robert blinked in surprise. He had no idea his master's vast array of unusual talents also included forging official documents. But he had no trouble believing it.

F'leer of course was interested in other matters. "I don't think she just leaves it lying around."

"No, she doesn't. In fact she always carries it with her." Thomar grumbled. "She knows that slip of paper is worth a duchy."

"So how do we separate the old bitch from it long enough for you to alter it?" F'leer thoughtfully rubbed his nose but apparently had no brilliant idea.

Thomar shrugged helplessly. "I hate to admit it, but I don't know."

"I know how."

Robert had a few seconds to wonder who had said that before both Thomar and F'leer turned to him to look at him incredulously.

Of course he knew how. It was blatantly obvious. But it was certainly not an information that he had planned to share with anyone, considering what it would entail.

It was almost a week ago now that Countess Jelena Dracon of Serin had arrived on Aylian to present her claims to the hand of the young Duke. The document she had was genuine, the seal of the family crest authentic, the signatures of Thomar's parents correct. Some old courtiers even remembered how the contract had been drafted and signed when Thomar's parents had needed am unnamed favour from the influential countess.

Considering she was well into her fifties she was still a striking woman. Tall, athletic, with black hair cut short in military fashion, sharp, angular features and the typical Serin Dracon wardrobe of tight black leather, spikes and buckles.

Thomar had hated her on sight and his bodyguards has been tearing on their leashes as well to get at her throat. But of course everybody had stayed polite and civil. Appearances were everything after all.

When Robert first met her it had been at an official dinner party, given to welcome her. He immediately felt that warning tingle at the nape of his neck, instincts honed over years telling him when someone took a decidedly unhealthy interest in him. Knowing which nobles enjoyed their pets writhing in pain was a survival skill every pet developed if it stayed alive long enough.

Robert stayed close by Thomar's side, knowing that was the safest place for him. Thomar, of course, avoided his guest of honour so it took Robert a while to figure out that is was the duchess who was eying him hungrily.

One look at the pet by her side confirmed Robert's suspicions about her tastes. Brutish and heavily muscled, but not as tall as his mistress and anything but pretty he was the kind of pet that would be sold in market section which dealt in "fuckers". Such pets were favoured by nobles who liked to watch their cute, vulnerable pets get raped. They usually came with huge cocks that that often were modified to cause maximum pain either by simple studs or even spikes or - for the wealthier customers - with all sorts of cyberware.

This particular specimen came on a thick leather collar with a matching chain attached which the countess held firmly wound around one fist. From the way the pet openly leered at passing servants and even commoners and strained against the chain that was necessary too.

He was dressed only with skin tight leather pants which showed all too clearly how inhumanly well he was equipped.

Robert's encounters with this type of pet had so far been blissfully rare and short and he very much planned to keep it that way. 

That his mistress showed such interest in Robert would have scared him. If he hadn't been so sure that Thomar would never leave him to her tender mercies. It hadn't even been hard to figure out why he had such a pull on her: an obviously vulnerable pet of his age acting as freely as he did - not leashed and not constantly kneeling by his master's side - was an affront to her. Serin Dracon were the most old fashioned of the whole house and a pet not properly broken was a challenge hard to ignore.

So he spent the whole evening clinging to Thomar's side instead of wandering off like he normally would have done.

At some point Thomar was forced to speak to her and they exchanged polite pleasantries which neither of them meant.

The countess inquired about Robert, keeping her interest carefully hidden and Thomar quite rudely asked her whether she needed glasses since Robert was clearly marked as "don't touch". Robert was quite touched that his master lost his composure in his protectiveness.

Thomar was answered with the indulgent smile an aunt might have for an insolent nephew. She invited him to share her pet, which was marked with "don't leave permanent marks" earrings.

By then Thomar recovered his wits and politely informed her that he preferred pets he enjoyed looking at.

They agreed how amazingly ugly the countess' pet was, shared a fake laugh and then Thomar moved on to speak to more pleasant company, dragging Robert along.

Robert had felt the countess' eyes linger on him through the entire evening.

So it was quite obvious to him now how to separate the lady from her clothes and keep her occupied.

"Really?" F'leer brought Robert's mind back to the present. "And are you going to share your wisdom with us or do we have to die ignorant?"

Thomar of course was already picking up how distressed Robert was and moved over to him.

"Robert? What the heck are you talking about?" he asked.

Realizing that his hands were starting to shake Robert folded them in his lap. Now that he had slipped up he would have to tell them. And that could only lead to much pain. But he had brought this down on himself with talking before thinking.

"Well..." he started, and then had to clear his throat which was suddenly very dry. "The lady... is quite interested in me. If you lend me to her I'm sure she would be quite busy without her clothes and that document for a while."

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he had expected from his master and his Captain of the guard but is certainly wasn't this one. Both of them were staring at him aghast and horrified, Thomar actually with his mouth hanging open.

It was F'leer who recovered his voice first. "Are you completely insane?" he asked, almost gently as if talking to a small, stupid child. "She will shred you."

Strangely enough it was the Youh'Kai's patronizing tone that once more made Robert bristle. "I am aware of that." He snapped.

Thomar's gentle hand suddenly cupping his cheek was another matter entirely. "I would never give you to her." He stated calmly. "Never."

Robert leaned into the touch and at the same time realized what a perfect solution his idea really was. Knowing how much his master cherished him made it surprisingly easy to offer himself as a distraction. 

Of course there would be pain. Excruciating pain as she would do her utmost to succeed at breaking him where she perceived others as having failed. And he wouldn't be able to give her what she wanted, would have to keep her interest as long as possible. No easy way out. He enjoyed a bit of pain but he knew well where his limits lay. He had never before been forced to not break. Being brutally honest he admitted to himself that he had no idea how much he could take. He could only hope it would be enough.

Robert laid his own hand over his master's. "You know it would work." He said, looking up at Thomar.

The young Duke didn't reply, just stubbornly clenched his jaw. It made Robert painfully aware how much he felt for this master. How very deeply his emotions ran compared to any other he had experienced.

"It wouldn't work anyway." F'leer interrupted. "She knows Thomar would never give you to her. She'd immediately know something was up."

"Then we'll have to fool her." Now that he set his mind to it, plans came to Robert easily. If there was one thing he knew well it was how the minds of Dracon worked. "Set her a scene where I misbehave, have Thomar get angry at me and she will jump at the chance to discipline me for him."

"That might work..." F'leer mused, slowly warming to the idea but he was cut short by Thomar.

"NO!" he exclaimed, pulling his hand away from Robert's gentle hold. "I will not sacrifice you for this. There must be another way!"

"You can't stall her forever." F'leer pointed out.

Thomar hissed something unintelligible, clenching his hands to fists at his side.

"Please let me do this for you." Robert said.

With a defeated sigh Thomar dropped on the couch next to him, leaning his brow against Robert's shoulder suddenly looking quite young.

"I can do this." Robert tried to reassure him. 

"I don't want you to get hurt." Thomar's voice came out as a muffled whisper against Robert's shoulder and he ached with his master. 

"I've been through a lot. I can deal with it." 

It was probably even true. True enough, anyway, for Robert to smile encouragingly at Thomar when he raised his head to search his face. There was still deep doubt but there was a crack in it now.

"Are you really sure about this?" Thomar asked. "Do you really want to do this?"

Robert nodded silently. 'For you, I'd do anything', he thought but didn't dare say that out loud.

\---

 

"Are you still sure you want to do this? Last chance to back out." 

Thomar's voice held a definite note of hope that Robert would refuse, which made him all the more stubborn.

"Yes, I'm sure." He answered.

"Okay." 

The change in Thomar was instant and quite scary. From worried, gentle master he turned into furious, brutal noble in less than a second. His face became a mask of rage, his soft brown eyes turned cold and hard.

His backhanded slap came so fast Robert had no time to roll with it even though he was expecting it. He was flung back and to his knees.

"You FUCKING BITCH!" Thomar's angry roar would be easily heard through the open door to the ducal suite and echo down the corridor outside. "How DARE YOU!?"

Glancing up Robert hardly recognized his master. He had seen Thomar angry at him once before but that had been very different to what he faced now. While the young Duke had been genuinely upset back then, now he was furious in the way a child having a temper tantrum would be furious. 

He didn't look like himself at all, Robert realized with sudden relief. Even when he had posed as a pet he had still looked more himself than this. This was just an extremely well crafted mask. It helped him fight down the panic attack which had almost overcome him.

It also helped him to react when Thomar kicked him, aiming for his ribs. He curled up, protecting his most vulnerable parts with his arms and legs but he soon noticed that Thomar was skilfully pulling his blows. He could guess that it would look quite impressive, though.

"You ungrateful BASTARD!" Thomar screeched. "Worthless fucking SLUT!"

Of course, the scene was carefully timed with a point in time when the Lady Jelena would be in hearing range of it. They were counting on and hoping for her curiosity getting the better of her. Dracon were not known for their restraint. Their plan depended on this fact.

They had even considered having T'lark trying to manipulate her but had ultimately decided against it since the risk of her noticing it somehow was too great.

Thomar hurled a barrage of not very creative insults at Robert which was just one more sign for Robert that his master was acting. He knew from experience that Thomar's vocabulary in that field was a lot more comprehensive than he showed now.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the sharp, fast click of high heels in the corridor.

"My, my... what has you in such a state, my dear husband-to-be...?" the voice of Countess Jelena Dracon drawled, betraying just a hint of excitement.

"YOU!" Thomar whirled on her. "This is all your fault, you bitch!"

They had not discussed in detail what each of them was going to say so Robert was slightly confused by this turn of events. He had no idea what Thomar was doing but he hoped his master had a strategy. Since he wasn't the focus of their attention, Robert uncurled slightly to watch.

"He NEVER misbehaved this way before you showed up here!" Thomar hissed at the countess shaking on fist at her, looking for any observer like a classic raging teenager.

Lady Jelena blinked at him in slight consternation, but then a predatory smile spread on her lips as she smelled her chance like a shark would smell blood in the water.

"Really now, darling, how can I be at fault for you spoiling your pet until it doesn't know its place anymore?" she asked sweetly.

Thomar pouted angrily. "Spoiling your pet is all the rage on P2!" he snapped, displaying juvenile cluelessness for his rapt audience.

"Yes, and now you get to experience first hand where that kind of nonsense leads." Lady Jelena shook her head in gentle reproach.

The young Duke of Aylian suddenly deflated and turned from furious beasty to whiny, annoying boy. "And of course YOU know how to handle a pet properly." He sneered.

Lady Jelena raised a thin eyebrow. "Of course." She stated calmly.

Both of them turned their attention back to Robert now and he felt the urge to squirm and beg. Only that wasn't part of the plan. Now it was his turn to play the role of insolent pet. At least he had plenty of role models to draw from. He had observed plenty of untamed pats to have a solid pool of ideas to draw from.

So he pulled himself back up to his knees and glared at both nobles. The unholy gleam of excitement in Lady Jelena's eyes nearly made him cringe but instead he haughtily raised his chin and then looked right past her.

"Really, darling, how could you have let it come to this?" the countess gently admonished Thomar, who immediately bristled at her condescending tone.

"The handbook says it's just a passing phase to be expected." He coolly informed her.

"Handbook?"

Thomar opened his mouth to answer but was imperiously waved silent.

"Never mind. I think I don't even want to know." Lady Jelena gifted the young Duke with an indulgent smile. "I really need to get you some proper "handbooks", my dear. I tend to forget that you had to grow up without proper guidance. I'll lend you my copy of "Gardening for all Seasons".

If it hadn't been him who was offering himself as a sacrifice, Robert would have felt amused by how easily the countess fell into the trap set for her. She so much enjoyed feeling superior to Thomar it apparently didn't even cross her mind to question how she suddenly was able to order him around.

"I'm not interested in gardening." Thomar sullenly complained.

Of course he knew perfectly well that "Gardening for all Seasons" was the euphemistic term Dracon nobles used for their four-volume-compendium of sexual practices. From spring to winter they ranged from foreplay over sex, bondage and S&M to sexually themed murder. 

Thomar owned a beautiful, leather-bound edition he had inherited from his mother. One of the few items his parents had left him he truly treasured. Working through all the positions of the "Summer Garden" with Robert had been one of Thomar's projects back when he had freshly purchased him.

"It's not about gardening, dear. I promise, you will enjoy it." Even though she was speaking to Thomar, her attention never shifted from Robert. "So, what has he done?" She asked, licking her thin lips.

"I caught him kissing one of the slave boys!" Thomar exclaimed with renewed anger.

"Now... we really can't have your pet cheating on you, can we?" The countess shook her head sadly.

Robert realized just as Thomar opened his mouth to say something that this was a perfect cue.

"I wasn't cheating!" he interrupted his master.

"OH! Oh, you BITCH!" Thomar's display of outrage and helplessness would have been comical if it hadn't been so potentially deadly.

"So what do you plan to do about this?" Lady Jelena asked hungrily.

"I... I..." Thomar looked from the noble woman towering tall over him to his insolent pet and back. "I suppose I could sell him...?"

That was actually the worst threat Robert could imagine but neither Lady Jelena nor Thomar could know that. The countess was quite disappointed with Thomar apparently.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Thomar, how do you expect to your subjects to respect you when you can't even rule in your own pet." 

She again gave Thomar one of those indulgent smiles and this time Robert caught a tiny crack in his master's mask, a spark of hatred and rage threatening to overwhelm his composure. He realized that Thomar was getting very close to abandoning their plan in favour of simply ripping the woman's guts out. Luckily, the countess wasn't paying him enough attention to catch it as well. 

She turned back to Robert. "I could take care of this for you." She offered at last. "I'll make sure he learns his place."

"Uh..." Thomar uncomfortably stepped from one foot to the other. "But you're not going to hurt him, are you?" he asked in a pathetically whiny tone.

This time there was open disgust in Lady Jelena's face as she looked at Thomar again. "Of course I'm going to hurt him."

Thomar actually managed to look queasy. "But... do I have to watch...?"

It was obviously not a question the countess had expected, but Robert could see how much she was in equal parts appalled by Thomar's apparent weakness and excited by the fact that she would have Robert all to herself.

"Of course not, my dear." She promised, her gentle tone a thin veneer over cold scorn and hot hunger.

"Well then," Thomar tossed his head arrogantly, "you can have him then. But I expect to have him returned by evening!"

"As you wish." Lady Jelena inclined her head just enough for it to count as a sketched bow.

Then she was next to Robert in one stride. She grabbed him by the hair and violently pulled him to his feet. She was strong enough Robert immediately surmised that she somehow had enhanced her strength. She leaned in close to him and hungrily sniffed his neck.

"We are going to have so much fun, pet." She then whispered into his ear, and this time Robert was unable to suppress a shudder running through him.

\---

 

Waking up was a slow and unpleasant process for Robert. It felt like being forced to climb out of a deep, dark and decidedly comfortable place. Even before the first fog of memory returned, it also felt like climbing towards a place he didn't want to be.

When the first memory did coalesce from fog into solid images and sensations, he recoiled from them, trying futilely to withdraw back to that protective darkness of unconsciousness.

The sneering face of countess Jelena as she surveyed her handiwork. With her brute of a pet holding Robert down, it had taken her not very long to secure him to her spacious bed. Spread-eagled, naked and helpless she had him exactly where and how she wanted him.

With a sharp hiss she ordered her pet back who had already started feeling up his future prey.

She took her time, enjoying the view. Then she shed her tight leathers, carelessly flinging them away. They were still in the same room though and Robert had the time to worry how his master would get to them without the countess noticing. Then his attention was wholly taken up by Lady Jelena herself.

Naked now, she had introduced him to her favoured training device.

Many nobles used the versatile slave collars to discipline and train their slaves. A mix of painful shocks and drug cocktails worked nicely to tame almost any pet. Others preferred old-fashioned instruments like whips and canes.

The countess used something much more sophisticated and personal. A "pain glove" was a high tech device that over-stimulated nerves until the slightest touch produced exquisite pin points of pain. From feather light touches to simple caress over firm strokes it made the victim feel everything from mild discomfort to extreme agony. It allowed the user to play his subject like a musical instrument - or so the advertisements for the glove claimed.

Robert had been on the receiving end of such a treatment only twice, and both times had merely been short demonstrations by a clumsy kid trying out a new toy.

Lady Jelena was a master at the use of the glove.

It didn't take her long to make him scream.

She counted that as an easy victory in breaking him and started to turn away disappointed. Until he sneered at her that she would have to try harder. To wrest a scream from him wasn't hard. He saw no point in stubbornly biting his own lips bloody. That didn't mean that he was at the limit of pain he could endure.

The lady was both enraged by his display of insolence and delighted at the challenge presented to her.

She showed him agony then.

When her gloved fingers entered him the first time he had wondered if serving his master was really worth it.

It became his mantra in the hours that followed.

When she pried his mouth open to caress the entrance of his throat with her gloved fingertips, making him suffocate as he couldn't breathe with the pain.

When her pet ripped him open with his studded cock and he felt himself tear and bleed.

When she lovingly wrapped her pet's cock into a fabric similar to that of the pain glove and he was entered again, the pain buried so deep within him he thought he was shattered inside.

When she told him in minute detail how she would play with him more when she would be duchess and he would be hers to keep.

An eternity of pain later he started to beg and plead, but she was past caring.

In her own, twisted way she cared. She kissed his tears away while her pet raped him again and again. She whispered to him how beautiful he was in his pain, how she loved him for the pleasure he gave her, how she would cherish and treasure him. How she would build him back up, to break him again and again. How he was the best she had ever had.

Her breath hot and panting on his face with her orgasm as she stared down at him, glassy-eyed.

A master or mistress who treasured him, who would keep him. Those were things he had longed for all his life. He would have gladly been hers. He would have taken all that pain and learned to enjoy it. He would have become anything she wanted him to be. For the simple fact of being owned.

Before Thomar.

Now she was a disgusting monster and he knew without a doubt that he would rather die than belong to her.

That he would rather die than belong to anyone but Thomar.

The answer to his mantra of questions became clear when the blissful darkness of unconsciousness started to wrap around his failing body.

Yes. It was worth it.

Now that same darkness was evading his grasp and despite his struggle against it he was waking.

Waking meant coming back to the pain that would still be excruciating, now that it had had time to settle in. Waking probably meant facing the countess once more. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious but it didn't feel like long.

'Returned by evening' Thomar had said. That might still be hours if she had used artificial means to wake him.

But the more the darkness receded, the more he noticed that something was wrong. There was no pain. For a fearful moment, he thought that he had somehow lost all sensation in his limbs and that propelled him towards wakefulness with sudden speed.

Then he felt the comfort of a soft blanket on his skin, his fingers brushed against the coarser material of a linen bedspread, and the scent on the pillow was his own as well as that of his master.

With bone-deep relief he realized that he was in his own bed. No. Thomar's bed. Their bed.

Safe.

That still didn't explain why he didn't feel any pain. Actually, he was feeling great. Even the slight sting of pain in his lower back which he usually felt when he had slept on his back was absent. Nothing hurt at all.

Only one way to find out really.

After taking a deep breath to gather some courage, Robert opened his eyes. The bedroom was filled with warm sunlight which shone through the partly closed, thick curtains. For a moment, he thought he was alone, but then he noticed that his high backed armchair had been moved from the fireplace in the sitting room next to the bed and was occupied by his master.

Thomar was curled up, with his knees drawn up and feet tucked under himself, his head pillowed on the armrest and his elbow. He was asleep. And he looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in days and deep lines of worry etched into his brow. His usually immaculate clothes showed creases and looked like he had slept in them.

Immediately, Robert worried that their plan had somehow met unexpected trouble. With a small sound of distress, he sat up and reached for his master.

Thomar woke instantly, his eyes opened and found Robert. In them, Robert read sorrow and then, suddenly, hope. An almost shy smile appeared on Thomar's face and erased some of the lines of worry.

"Robert." His master said softly and uncurled to lean toward him.

Robert blinked at him in confusion. Had his master really been sleeping by his bedside, watching over him? Apparently he had.

A smile of his own answered that of his master. "What happened?" he then asked, worry resurfacing that something had gone wrong.

Suddenly he found himself with an arm full of Thomar as his master flung himself against him, hugging him tightly.

"You're all right!" Thomar exclaimed. "I was so worried about you. They told me you just needed time to heal but... but... I... Oh damn you!" Thomar punched him angrily and at the same time sounded like he was close to tears. "You stupid, stupid pet! How could you do that! You knew what she would do to you! You knew and you still did this! How could you do such a stupid thing for me?!"

Confused and with his own throat suddenly closing up with too much emotion, Robert buried his face against his master's shoulder. He had no answer for those questions he felt able to give voice to.

Thomar hugged him tightly.

"When they brought you back here. When I saw what she had done to you," he whispered, his voice fierce, "I wanted to kill her. I wanted to repay her every minute of pain she inflicted on you ten-fold. I hate her so much..."

"Thomar... no..." Robert tried to free himself from his master's embrace. If Thomar did that it would ruin everything.

"But I didn't. I understand what you have done for me. I understand why you did this." Thomar said. "I won't ruin what you have sacrificed. But you must understand this," Thomar looked him in the eyes and there could be no doubt that he meant what he said, "you will never do anything like this again. I can not see you hurt like this again."

Robert nodded silently.

"She is gone now." Thomar continued. "She did not like the changes I made to her precious contract at all. Seems she wasn't interested in marrying me when she could not inherit after my death and would forfeit all the wealth she has accumulated so far to my successor."

"She is gone." Robert shook his head. "How can she be gone already?"

"You have been in a healing sleep for nearly a week." Thomar said quietly, a deep shadow of pain again passing over his face. "Two Aroona priests have been here most of that time. I called them into the palace the moment I saw you."

"Oh."

Robert closed his eyes, fighting a sense of vertigo. He knew he had been hurt badly, but he hadn't had any idea it had been so bad. At some point, the pain had started to feel so unreal he had lost track of it.

"Why did you fight her for so long?" Thomar asked gently. "You could have just given in much sooner. She must have been in a frenzy to mutilate you so."

"I... don't know..." It had all felt quite sensible then. "I tried to give you as much time as I could endure."

Thomar muttered a curse in the language of the Youh'Kai. "I'm an idiot for having allowed you to do this."

"I'm sorry I have given you so much worry..." Robert tried to apologize and at the same time he felt his heart beat hard with the joy of knowing that his master cherished him enough to worry so much.

Thomar frowned at him and some of his usual dry humour surfaced. "You better be." He grumbled. Then he was suddenly overtaken with a huge yawn.

"Have you slept in that chair all the time?" Robert asked him accusingly.

"When I wasn't working." Thomar shrugged. "I didn't want to disturb your healing, but I wanted to be close to you."

"You are an idiot." Robert confirmed.

Again Thomar punched him lightly, but then he settled against him, for once seeming quite content snuggled up in Robert's arm. After only a few moments, the Duke of Aylian had fallen asleep, leaving Robert with the amazing feeling of loving and being loved.


	9. Burning Bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Robert is asked for a favour and bribed on top of that he finds himself confronted with unexpected complications

After four straight days of snowfall, the capital of Aylian was covered in a soft white blanket. Ice-flowers glittered on windows and icicles hung from roofs and window sills like a multitude of randomly scattered jewels.

The forecast that the capital would see an actual winter this year had at first fallen short of expectations. It had been merely chilly all autumn and well into winter. But now, two months into the season, there was snow in this region for the first time in generations.

And while it was fucking cold and uncomfortable living in a palace which's central heating system had been defunct for just as many generations and which was only comfortably warm close to the huge fireplaces, Robert had to admit that it was also quite beautiful.

The snow had stopped falling some time in the night and a brilliant dawn had transformed the capital into a sparkling wonderland.

Thomar had been in an accordingly splendid mood and decided to use the weather for a little impromptu festive event for the court and guests of the palace.

The big inner courtyard next to the palace's kitchen had been converted for the occasion. A part of it had been covered by a thick sheen of smooth ice by some demon - who apparently was mostly made of ice himself - to use for ice skating. A few tables with chairs were placed close to a cheerfully burning bonfire nearby.

The doors to the kitchen were open to allow servants to serve platters of hot pastries and meat snacks and trays of steaming hot drinks to members of court and guests filling the courtyard with chatter and colourful attire. The mood was amazingly light and cheerful. For once, everyone seemed to just enjoy the occasion and keep the backstabbing to a minimum.

The young duke drifted from one cluster of his guests to another and made a point of making pleasant conversation.

Robert had found a spot between the fire and the wall of the courtyard where he wasn't freezing solid. Like most of the courtiers, he lacked clothing properly warm enough for this weather, but unlike them he didn't have the funds and freedom to just quickly remedy the matter. Of course, he could have asked Thomar for a thick fur coat like they suddenly seemed to be all the rage judging by this little get-together. But his master had been so busy Robert hadn't thought it necessary to burden him with such trivial matters. After all, he hadn't known he would be spending time outside.

So now he wrapped his hands around a mug of hot, spiced wine and tried to keep his shivering as unobtrusive as possible. He was quite certain that Thomar would be entirely un-amused if he realized that Robert was freezing without complaining about it.

He could probably have slipped inside unnoticed and without being missed but he stayed on the off chance that his master would need him for something and for the simple pleasure of watching. It was a beautiful scene and a little cold wouldn't kill him.

Since he was paying attention he noticed right away when a huge, hulking demon spotted him and suddenly headed straight for him, trailed by a tiny, impish creature. 

It was at least two heads taller than Robert and that wasn't counting the four huge, black horns it sported. From what Robert had learned about demons, it was a classic war demon, covered in black scales with huge claws on hands and feet, a scaly tail, leathery wings and a maw filled with sharp teeth. It looked like it had jumped right out of a movie or a religious pamphlet.

Certainly not someone or something Robert felt comfortable facing on his own, but the creature already was between him and his master. It would hopefully not attack him here out in the open so Robert put on a brave smile and waited.

Arriving in front of him, it looked even bigger, towering over Robert like a monster out of some nightmare, its bulk blocking his view of most of the rest of the courtyard. It bared its impressive mass of teeth in a feral snarl and Robert's own smile faltered as he gave in to the urge to cringe away.

Then it spoke with a deep and surprisingly calm voice and it took Robert a moment to figure out he was being addressed. 

"Greetings. It is a great honour to meet the mate of the Prince of this realm." It said and then bowed.

Belatedly, Robert realized that what he had interpreted as a snarl had been meant to be a smile. Of course, Thomar was the duke and not a Prince, like the demons dubbed the rulers of their pocket realms. And Robert was an ordinary pet and not a "mate" whatever that meant. It did seem to be a title of importance though, so it would be better to correct the matter before anyone could fault him with pretending to be something he was not.

But it had taken him too long to gather his wits as the demon continued: "I am Lady Car Astarte Sesh, general of the aerial corps of Prince Skeel's forces."

It was a she?

Robert could not discern anything that would reveal gender on the creature, but that didn't mean much. The names didn't mean anything to him either, apart from the fact that it made sense for a winged creature to command an aerial corps.

Finally recovering some of his trained manners, Robert bowed in turn. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I am Robert, Duke Thomar's pet." Robert silently hoped that would be enough to clear up that "mate" idea.

The renewed smile of the demon still looked like a fearsome snarl to Robert, but this time he managed not to recoil from it.

"The pleasure of finally visiting your beautiful realm is all mine." The creature replied, showing an amazing amount of polite conversation skills for her looks. "This truly is a most astounding place." She made sweeping gesture with her claws.

Luckily polite small talk was something Robert was well versed in as well. "So what brings you to Aylian?" he asked.

The demon lady crunched up her face in a way Robert wasn't quite sure how to interpret. "Unhappy events in my home realm, I'm afraid." She answered. "There is much bad blood and warfare. Much suffering among my troops and my people."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Robert didn't know much about the inner politics of the demon empire, but that there was constant strife and violent conflicts to gain more power was a given. Of course, that would mean many less powerful demons getting caught in the crossfire.

Again the snarl-smile made a reappearance. "Your kindness is greatly appreciated." Lady Car bowed. "I have heard much talk about the peace your people enjoy and about your Prince's generosity in caring for his subjects."

"The duke does what he can for his people." Robert agreed. "It's not always easy after everything that was lost in the invasion, but improvements are steady." That, of course, was the official propaganda line. In truth, things were progressing with amazing speed since Thomar was squeezing every last drop out of the contrite and cowed demons he was dealing with daily.

To his surprise, the demon lady nodded eagerly. "The forgiveness you are showing for our transgressions is most impressive. I wish I had a way to prove that not all of our people are like those who foolishly attacked you. Or at least participate in the reparations."

Robert shrugged. "The duke probably would have plenty to do for you, but I doubt your duties would allow you to do much."

"Really?" The demon lady eyed him with what Robert decided was curiosity. "You think your Prince could find a place for one such as myself in his service?"

Robert looked the huge, hulking monster up and down. The one thing his master was complaining about most was that the invasion had cost him most of Aylian's troops and how much he hated relying on off-planet nobles and the Emperor to supplement his forces.

"I'm pretty sure." He said.

This smile-snarl was even wider and showing even more teeth which, Robert now noticed, were stacked in several rows in the demon's maw. "Thank you, kind lord. You compliment honours me and mine."

"I'm really not a lord..." Robert tried to correct her again, but she didn't notice as she was gesturing to the imp who had been hovering close to her foot all the time.

"I almost forgot." She explained, as the imp pulled a big, wrapped packet out of nowhere. "I have learned that it is customary to bring gifts in your realm when you are invited. Please allow me to present you with this small token of my admiration."

She offered the packet to Robert, who took it gingerly. He expected it to be heavy and probably squishy and dripping blood, but it proved to be surprisingly light and soft. Curiously he opened up the wrapping and then couldn't suppress a startled sound of pleasure as his fingers touched soft fur. The imp took the wrapping back and Robert shook out a beautiful coat which was thick, sand coloured fur on the outside and lined with luxuriously soft white fur on the inside. It also looked like it was tailored for him.

"I realize this is no more than a trinket to you." Lady Car said apologetically. "After all, you seem to be perfectly fine in this cold climate, but I hope the gesture will please you."

For a moment, Robert had no idea what she meant, but then he realized that she must have interpreted his lack of proper attire as him not needing any. He considered clearing that up, but then remembered Thomar telling him it was always a good idea to seem strong to a demon.

So he just thanked her, saying: "It is a generous gift of high quality and pleases me greatly. Thank you."

And since he was still fucking cold and didn't want to seem impolite, he shrugged out of his own thin jacket and put on the coat. It truly was luxurious and fit him perfectly. He found himself snuggling into the sudden, cosy warmth.

The demon lady smile-snarled some more, now quite obviously pleased with her successful gift.

"The pleasure is all mine in having found something which appeals to you." She bowed again. "Thank you for sharing your valuable time with me. I hope we will have opportunity to talk again."

"I would enjoy that as well." Robert said and actually meant it. 

Snuggled up nice and warm in his new coat, he watched her move to a group of courtiers who recoiled from her fearsome looks as well. Considering how scary he had thought this creature was, she had turned out amazingly nice.

\---

 

"Robert?"

The gentle but insistent prodding just wouldn't go away, so Robert groggily cracked open an eye only to find that his inner clock was definitely not going wrong. It was pitch dark with only the fireplace illuminating the room with some glowing embers. He could barely make out Thomar, lying on his side next to him, his head supported in his hand, his eyes intent as he prodded him again.

"What?" he grumbled, definitely not in a tone to use with a master, but Thomar was Thomar and by now Robert knew that he wouldn't mind.

"Are you awake now?" Thomar asked, sounding deeply amused.

"No." Robert groaned. 

He tried to pull the pillow over his head, which quickly turned into a pulling contest as Thomar held on to the other end. Of course it was Thomar who succeeded and took the pillow away. He leaned in and gently licked along Robert's ear, making him simultaneously shiver with delight and want to slap his annoying master away.

"Come on, wake up." Thomar whispered into his ear. "You promised."

Robert was reasonably sure that he had not promised to wake up in the middle of the night, but apparently Thomar was not going to let him sleep. So Robert rubbed his eyes and then blinked at his master owlishly.

"I did?" he asked.

"Yes, you did. You promised to teach me how to ice skate." 

There was that bouncy, happy, much too rare note in Thomar voice that instantly made Robert's heart feel light. Maybe he hadn't expected his master to make him keep that promise at such an hour, but then again it did make sense. After all, he had not been able to try out skating earlier during the little party since he could not be seen publicly failing at anything. Robert had noticed his longing look however and asked about it.

Of course Robert knew how to skate. For blissful two years, when he had been much younger, he had been the pet of a rich merchant’s daughter on Hammerfest. She had been a sweetheart and he had been her only pet. They had done everything together and on Hammerfest that involved ice and snow in all imaginable variations. Then she had been married off to some aging business partner and Robert had been sold off. For once he had felt sorrier for her than for himself.

But now his current master demanded his attention.

"Please?" Thomar asked sweetly and kept lavishing light kisses on Robert ear and then neck.

With a sigh Robert sat up and ran his hands through his hair roughly to force his reluctant body into wakefulness. Thomar was much faster and quickly out of bed and on his feet as soon as Robert moved. These were the moments when he wished he were as young as Thomar again. By the time Robert got his feet on the floor, Thomar was already dressed and bringing over Robert's clothes. He was curiously fingering the new fur coat.

"This is nice. Where did you get it?" he asked as he put the pile next to Robert on the bed.

"There was a demon lady this afternoon who gave it to me." Robert explained while struggling into his pants. "Apparently someone told her it was customary for guests to bring gifts. Maybe you should make that custom more widely known."

He had expected some amused reply, but instead Thomar frowned at the coat now. "Did she ask anything in return?" he asked cautiously. "One should never trust a demon bearing gifts."

That thought hadn't even crossed Robert's mind. He reviewed the conversation with the lady in his memory. "No, she actually was quite nice."

That deepened the young duke's frown. "I see. Well, if she does demand anything of you please let me know immediately."

Wanting to bring back Thomar's lighter mood Robert changed the subject: "So do you even have skates for us?"

Thomar snorted. "Of course."

It took him only a minute of rummaging in the wardrobe to produce two pairs of skates, but that was enough for Robert to get fully dressed as well.

Together they made their way through the silent palace down to the courtyard, trailed by the silent shadow of one of Thomar's Youh'Kai bodyguards. The courtyard lay deserted; even the kitchen was closed and dark at this hour of night. The only light came from the clear, star-filled sky and the eerie green-purple glow of the giant demon portal hanging in orbit over the planet.

They used the chairs still left next to the remains of the bonfire to put on the skates. Robert wasn't surprised when Thomar had no trouble keeping his balance. A young man with extensive combat training of course wouldn't be challenged with a thing as simple as ice-skating. He strongly suspected that his master wouldn't have needed teaching either, but that Thomar just used this as an excuse to spend quality time alone with his pet.

"So what is the trick?" Thomar asked as they stepped onto the ice, Thomar clinging to Robert's arm for balance.

"The actual trick is to keep moving." Robert explained. "Standing still is much harder than skating."

Taking his master's hands he skated backwards, pulling him along.

Thomar laughed, his breath leaving white puffs in the air.

At first he held on to Robert for balance, but soon he was gracefully sliding across the ice, looking plain beautiful to Robert in his tight black Dracon leathers, now supplemented with a soft black woollen scarf that trailed behind him. They ran lazy circles around the small ice patch, Thomar with his arms outstretched; looking to Robert like the happy, carefree pet he had pretended to be on their pleasure cruise. By now he was getting used to how easily his master slipped from one role into the other within moments.

Then Thomar met Robert again. First he took both his hands, and then pulled himself in closer until they held on to each other in a dancing position. Thomar had grown some more again and now was as tall as Robert. Wistfully Robert thought that he missed his master looking up at him a tiny bit. Then again this presented new opportunities. Soon he would be glancing up at Thomar through lowered lashes.

They moved across the ice in unison, Thomar smiling happily and Robert finding he mirrored the expression.

"Thank you," Thomar said softly, "this is lovely."

It was of course an incredibly sappy and unfitting thing for a Dracon duke to say to his pet. But Robert cared as little as his master.

He leaned forward just enough to kiss Thomar. His lips were cool from being exposed to the air but they warmed up quickly. They drew closer together, still slowly sliding over the ice, and kissed, exploring each other's mouths.

When they separated to draw breath, Robert felt all tingly and hot. Such a dangerous thing to have a master he loved. But again Robert couldn't bring himself to care.

Thomar's eyes had that certain sparkle. "Maybe we'd better get back to bed now?" he asked and Robert very much agreed.

Minutes later they were back in their suite and for once Thomar didn't need to prod Robert into action. He pulled his master into a close embrace and kissed him again, crushing their bodies against each other. Thomar growled in reply and toppled them onto the bed. 

Cold fingers quickly warmed as they wormed under thick layers of clothing to find hot skin. Still they took their time undressing each other. Tonight neither of them felt like exotic Dracon sex experiments. There was an appalling amount of kissing, soft touches and breathless laughs. Robert happily stretched on his back, relishing the feeling of Thomar on top of him, relishing the feeling of Thomar inside him. 

Thomar had become a very skilled lover in the year and a half that Robert was with him now and he knew every trick that would make Robert moan and beg for more and tonight he sure took his time, repeatedly taking Robert close to the brink only to let him cool down again. It was delightful and everything Robert wished for. He let himself fall into pleasure, secure in the knowledge that he could.

Later they lay facing each other; each comfortably snuggled under thick blankets with enough distance to allow Thomar his usual tossing and turning in his sleep.

Robert was nearly asleep again when Thomar reached out to him to softly caress his face.

"Thank you." He whispered and Robert was almost sure he hadn't been meant to hear it. So he remained silent and soon slipped into sleep.

\---

 

Robert stood by one of the high windows in the throne room of the palace and gazed outside, sipping the first drink of the afternoon. It was something he always enjoyed doing when court proceedings were especially dull, but the beautiful weather of the last few days made it even better. The biting cold remained, but the skies were clear and every day a brilliant sun turned the city into a sparkling crystal of ice and snow.

The citizens of the city of course were less delighted with the unusual climate. They had repeatedly been reassured by their duke that they would only have to suffer through this one winter and that by next year everything would be back to normal. Like most commoners they had adopted a "we believe it when we see it" attitude and were accordingly pesky to deal with.

Which annoyed Thomar to no end since this time - as he had told Robert angrily - he really wasn't making empty promises but was quite sure that he told them the truth. He had talked to the mysterious Lady Beverly again who was supposed to fix the climate and had been very impressed with her.

Robert had used the opportunity to inquire who exactly this lady was. Apparently she was some genius alien scientist who had not only built the Emperor's new flagship but had also founded the university of Malicorn and was the personal tech assistant of Archbishop Cornelius, the Living Saint. The man who had pretty much single-handedly held off and then beaten back the demon invasion of Aylian.

At that point, Robert had decided he really didn't want to hear more of her much less ever meet her in person. Way too many big names in his small life for his taste. Staying unnoticed was an essential survival skill for any slave who wanted to grow old, and so far he had managed well enough. He intended to keep it that way as much as possible even while being a duke's only pet.

Though his chances were probably getting slimmer with each year he stayed with Thomar. And even to him it started to look like that might just be the rest of his life. The thought brought a smile to his face as he glanced over at the throne where his master lounged. 

Some demon dignitary was explaining with a barrage of words and a complete lack of sincerity how dreadfully sorry the demons as a whole and he in particular were for the cold climate they had unwittingly caused. Robert was willing to bet that the only thing he really was sorry about was the fact that the demon behemoths that were used as freight transports were freezing their collective bellies off when they landed on the snowed in fields.

"Such a lying bastard!" a deep, resonating voice suddenly said next to Robert, startling him.

When he turned around the demon Lady Car stood next to him. He had no idea how she had managed to sneak up on him considering her size and weight. That she had done so was not exactly a reassuring thought. Still she had seemed rather nice despite her amount of teeth and claws.

"I wish some of my brethren were true to their word when it comes to repairing the damage they have wrought on your beautiful planet." She continued, apparently oblivious to his reaction to her.

Then she turned her attention from the slimy creature that still lectured the young duke to Robert and showed that fearsome snarl-smile again.

"Have you by any chance had opportunity to talk to the esteemed Duke about my proposal?" she asked, managing to put an amazing amount of sweetness into her deep voice.

Robert had no idea what she was talking about. For a moment he tried to come up with some polite nothing to answer her but then he decided that she deserved an honest answer for the fact that she at least seemed nice.

"Proposal, my lady?" he asked.

She blinked at him slowly and Robert had the distinct feeling that thoughts were racing behind her scaly brow. Her next words seemed most carefully chosen.

"Of course I understand completely that the Duke's mate is a very busy man and that my humble request to be allowed to be of service to the Duke would have slipped his mind." She said, accompanied by a deep bow.

Now Robert remembered that she had asked him to tell something like that to Thomar but he had regarded that more as a polite phrase than actual request. Apparently she was quite serious and probably had plans Robert didn't grasp at all.

"Please forgive me, if my petition had not been presented appropriately." She continued. "I would be deeply indebted to you if you might find the time to tell the Duke of my offer. You can rest assured that this time the token of my appreciation will match your expectations."

Now it was Robert's turn to blink at her. Token of appreciation? Was she talking about the lovely fur coat? With sudden clarity, he realized that the coat had been meant as a bribe and that he had completely missed that. Not surprising, considering he had never before been in any position where it would have made sense to bribe him. And now she apparently she was offering another bribe to get him to talk to Thomar on her behalf.

A little chagrined Robert noticed that he felt quite smug with these attempts at winning his favour. It felt nice to be flattered like this. Of course it wasn't his place. He was just the pet. A fact which she was still ignorant of, despite his efforts to correct her. At least she had learned that Thomar was a duke, not a prince. Then again - he did have Thomar's ear, so he could talk to him. And Thomar had even ordered him to let him know if the demon lady approached him again. So since he was going to talk to Thomar about it anyway - surely there was no harm in accepting another gift.

So he gracefully inclined his head. "I will see what I can do for you, Lady Car." He said.

She seemed pleased and beamed at him. At least he thought it was her version of beaming, showing a staggering amount of teeth.

"I will dispatch a servant of mine to bring a gift worthy of your generosity to your suite." She bowed again. "If you will excuse me now, I will make sure your gift will be delivered in a timely fashion."

Robert nodded politely and watched her walk away. She was wagging her scaly tail back and forth. Either in excitement or happiness. What a strange, scary, charming creature.

Then he realized that he should probably be getting back to the ducal quarters as well, to be there when his gift arrived. He again glanced at Thomar. The picture had not changed at all. The demon ambassador was still talking relentlessly, spewing empty apologies. The young duke would certainly not miss him.

He left his spot by the window and made his way to one of the side exits of the hall. There he was picked up by T'lark, who pretty much had assumed a personal bodyguard position whenever Robert left the ducal quarters. Or maybe F'leer or Thomar had put him on the job of being Robert's nursemaid. Both of them were a little paranoid about Robert's safety since the so called 'Lady Jelena incident'. Robert had to admit that he felt more secure in the Youh'Kai's company and T'lark didn't mind. Often Robert had the impression that the alien studied him with great curiosity.

"What did the demon want?" T'lark asked as he fell into step beside Robert.

"I think she wants to bribe me." Robert answered truthfully.

"She?" T'lark blinked with the same surprise Robert had felt when he learned the hulking monster was female. But then he caught up on to what Robert had said. "Bribe you? Why? And with what?"

"She asked me to talk to Thomar on her behalf." Robert explained. "And I have no clue. Some "gift" she will have delivered to the suite."

From F'leer or maybe even Thomar he would probably now have received a lecture on how careless it had been of him to talk to the demon lady much less accept another gift from her but T'lark grinned. It wasn't so much that he was careless - more that he was less serious and suspicious. And also much more mischievous. Robert had learned that the memorable events at Thomar's seventeenth birthday had been T'lark's plan.

"Cool." He said. "Any idea what it could be?"

"Last time she gave me that lovely fur coat. And now she seems to think that wasn't precious enough, so I have no idea." Robert shrugged.

"Could be anything, really." T'lark rubbed his nose, a gesture Robert had come to associate with the Youh'Kai's curiosity being piqued. "Demons have access to so many odd trinkets from their empire."

The more Robert thought about the matter the more he wondered if it really had been such a good idea to accept the offer.

"You think I should maybe better talk to Thomar about this first?" he asked.

T'lark considered the question for a while and then shook his head. "If it's a trap or the demon delivering it has bad intentions I'll be able to tell. And after what Thomar did to the last demon who touched you, I very much doubt they would try to harm you again. Quite probably it will be something pretty awesome." He looked at Robert quizzically. "You just agreed to talk to Thomar, right? Not to convince him, or anything?"

"Just to talk." Robert nodded.

"Right." T'lark happily rubbed his hands. "Then let's get you back to your quarters so we don't miss them!"

\---

 

Waiting usually was one of Robert's strong sides. As a pet, he had more than enough practice. He had spent at least a third of his whole life waiting, quite probably more. Being ready for your master was just another word for waiting for your master. With a master who rarely was interested in you that meant days, weeks or even months doing nothing much but waiting.

Therefore he was a little annoyed at the fact that he couldn't wait for his gift to arrive. He blamed T'lark for infecting him with this almost bouncy curiosity. While T'lark killed time by checking out Robert's collection of cheap romance novels and discarding each of them with an amused snort, Robert nervously wandered through the small apartment looking for something to do, but nothing required his immediate attention.

It took more than an hour before the Youh'Kai guarding the suite poked his head inside and told them the demon they were expecting had arrived.

Robert had somehow expected for the demon to be some sort of variation of the Lady Car but it turned out to be quite different. The creature entering the ducal quarters was a good head smaller than Robert. If one could talk about a head in this case, since it didn't really have a head. Its face was imbedded its chest; it had two sets of heavily muscled arms and squad, kind of stumpy legs. It was covered in thick, swarthy hide which looked slightly mottled. Certainly not a pretty creature, but Robert reminded himself not to let that influence his opinion of it.

It was carrying an ornately carved wooden box and now bowed deeply.

"Greetings, most esteemed lord." It spoke with a low, rumbling voice. 

Another demon who didn't quite grasp Robert's position, apparently, but this time Robert didn't even bother to correct it. 

"I am the Beastmaster of the honourable Lady Car Astarte Sesh." It continued. "She has informed me that we are to gift you with one of our most priced possessions and I have taken it upon myself to bring it myself to ensure that you are educated on how to properly care for it."

Robert couldn't help the feeling that the creature actually disapproved of giving him whatever it was the Lady had decided to gift him with. That at least reassured him that it was no elaborate trap. Then again - maybe it didn't approve of Lady Car's trap? He looked over at T'lark who nodded silently, their agreed on sign that the demon wasn't lying or harbouring evil intentions.

"Welcome, Beastmaster." Robert addressed the demon politely. "The lady has not informed me what exactly she is giving me so I look forward to the surprise."

It was impossible to read the facial expression of the creature. Its grimace really could mean anything. It set down the wooden box on the floor and carefully opened it. Robert curiously peered inside. It was filled with some finely spun, spongy mass. The demon removed some of it and Robert realized that it must be packaging material as a big, roughly egg-shaped crystal became visible, which nestled in the middle of the box. It glowed faintly with a dark red fire from within.

T'lark had moved over as well, overcome with curiosity but was firmly gestured back by the demon.

"This is an ember of creation." It explained. "It contains a Grarr who is still to become."

Robert had no idea what the Beastmaster was talking about. Apparently the demon was as incapable of reading his facial expression as he was with interpreting its grimaces. It didn't react to Robert's confusion at all but instead looked at him stoically.

"Forgive me my ignorance." Robert ventured carefully. "What do I need to do now?"

He was answered with another grimace. "You pick up the ember." The Beastmaster then said, to Robert sounding quite patient.

"Right." With both the Beastmaster and T'lark watching expectantly Robert felt more than a little uncomfortable but it really was too late now to back out. 

Crouching in front of the box he carefully picked the crystal out of the box. It was slightly warm to his touch. He was about to ask the demon what to do next when he felt a slight tingle run through his fingers and the glow of the crystal started to intensify. He yelped in surprise and nearly dropped it but something compelled him to keep his loose grip. 

The crystal got warmer and brighter and Robert could suddenly discern something twisting inside of it. At the same time, Robert felt his heartbeat quicken and he got the strange sensation of something inside the crystal reaching out to him, a sense of overwhelming trust and affection from whatever was inside.

The red light grew too bright to see but he could feel as the crystal dissolved and he held something soft and fuzzy. Then the bright glare winked out like a snuffed-out candle, and he looked into the sweetest chestnut coloured eyes of the bundle of rust red fur he held in his hands. It also had slightly drooping ears, big paws that he would need to grow into and a fluffy tail.

"A puppy?" T'lark gave voice to the thought that went through Robert's head as well.

Oblivious to the other people in the room, it still looked at Robert with an expression that could only be called unconditional love and Robert felt his heart constrict with the urge to cuddle the tiny creature close to himself and protect it from every evil of the universe.

"A Grarr youngling." The Beastmaster corrected as Robert gently rested the little thing closer to his chest.

"It sure is cute." T'lark commented in what Robert thought was the understatement of the century.

"It will grow into a fearsome warrior." The demon admonished, now clearly slightly annoyed. "It is... what do your people call it... a hellhound."

"A hellhound?" T'lark snorted. "That little bundle of joy?"

Robert listened only with half an ear as he was too busy caressing its little ears with the tip of his finger. It reacted with a happy purr that Robert would more have associated with a cat.

"It is now bonded with you, most esteemed lord." The Beastmaster addressed Robert again. "You must complete the bonding ritual by giving it a name."

Robert smiled at his adorable puppy and knew immediately there was only one name he could give it. He had only once ever seen eyes of this amazing chestnut colour before, combined with such a trusting, loving nature.

He looked the puppy in these eyes as he told it. "Alain. I will call you Alain." He had the strong feeling that the little creature understood.

"A good, strong name." This time the Beastmaster sounded almost approving. "Now set him on the floor, please, so I can teach you how to handle him."

"Handle him?" Robert felt more than a little reluctant to let the puppy go from his protective embrace.

"Yes. He is not a weak toy." The demon said. "You must know how to control him."

Robert was about to argue but T'lark cut him off. "He means it." He told Robert. "And he is the expert on this stuff. Maybe you better do what he says."

Robert looked down into the trusting eyes of his puppy, then at the stern expressions of the Beastmaster and T'lark, then back at Alain. It took him a physical effort to slowly set the little guy down on the floor. At the sad whine that followed, he nearly picked him up again to apologize for abandoning him.

"Take a step back." The demon ordered.

Being trained to obey direct orders Robert found himself reacting before he could object. Alain yelped pitifully and tried to sort his paws sufficiently to stand on them and follow Robert. Watching him struggle tore at Robert's heart in ways he couldn't remember ever experiencing before.

The Beastmaster apparently had no heart at all. Robert cried out in horror as the demon cruelly swatted the whelp. Alain tumbled head over paws with a small sound of pain. Then both Robert and T'lark cried out in surprise as the little creature came up on his paws with a growl and burst into white-hot flames.

Robert reacted without thinking. He grabbed the first piece of cloth, which turned out to be a blanket, and threw it over the burning menace to smother the fire. Which turned out to be not such a good idea as the blanket first started smoking furiously as the puppy inside is was struggling to get free, while the demon was shouting for them to calm down. Then the blanket caught fire as well, stinking and smoking even more. 

T'lark was frantically searching for something else to quench the flames while Robert stupidly stepped forward to somehow reassure his frightened darling.

"STOP IT!" The Beastmaster ordered all of them, grabbing Robert's arm to hold him back. "He is YOUR beast. You must tame him, he will only react to your command."

Alain shook off the last bits of burning blanket and, still burning brightly, looked around. When he noticed Robert being held back by the demon he bared his tiny teeth in another fierce growl and prepared to charge.

The demon let go of Robert and stepped back.

Robert had no idea how he was supposed to control his puppy, so he did the one thing his heart clamoured for him to do: he stepped forward and picked up Alain again.

He vaguely noticed T'lark trying to stop him, but it was already too late and he realized with delight that the flames didn't burn him at all. Alain was just pleasantly warm but still furious as he tried to turn in Robert's arms to defend his master from all and everything. Gently Robert stroked down his back.

"Sssh. It's okay, love. I'm here." He told the puppy.

"Tell him to stop burning." The Beastmaster commanded.

Robert glared at him. "He wouldn't even have started if you hadn't hit him!" he angrily accused which made Alain growl more.

"No, he's right." T'lark interjected. "What if he had done that without us knowing he can?"

"He could have told us!" Robert hissed, feeling just as furious as Alain.

The Beastmaster blinked at him in confusion and then turned to T'lark. "I fear the bonding may have unexpected side effects." He said carefully. "I am not familiar with the effects of a Grarr bonding with a creature with a soul of its own. The lord may be emotionally attached to the youngling..."

"Bloody well I'm emotionally attached!" Robert could hardly believe how cold the demon was. Talking about little Alain as if he was some mindless beast.

T'lark pinched the ridge of his nose with two fingers, looking tortured. "Indeed." He then said. "Now, Robert, calm down before your little bundle of joy burns down the palace."

Alain was still growling, burning and swiping his paw in the demon's general direction. Robert could sense as T'lark gently reached out to him mentally, offering his own calm for Robert to draw on. He took a deep breath, as he realized he was actually shaking with barely suppressed rage. This was really not him at all. 

He was just about beginning to wrestle down his anger when the door to the suite banged open, revealing the young duke of Aylian, looking quite worried. He only took a moment to take in the scene and his worry turned to annoyance.

"What the hell is happening here?!" he demanded. "I was told my quarters are burning!"

Alain used the stunned silence to turn his cute, vicious growl on Thomar.

\---

 

"Alain! NO!" Once more Robert reacted without thinking as he hugged the burning hellhound puppy close and wrapped his hand around its snout to keep it from growling at Thomar.

Maybe Thomar was the most forgiving master in the Empire when it came to his pet, but that didn't mean he would extend that courtesy to his pet's pet.

The Duke of Aylian stalked into the room, in turn looking first at Robert, then at the Beastmaster and last glaring at T'lark.

"Didn't I tell you to keep him out of trouble?" he snarled at the Youh'Kai, to Robert's relief completely ignoring the fact that Alain had threatened him. Then he again the cute little creature probably didn't register as a threat, even if he was on fire currently.

T'lark raised his hands placating. "He's not in trouble..." he started, but was immediately cut off by Thomar.

"He's hugging a burning whelp like his life depends on it! Was the fuck?!"

Alain was slowly quieting down in Robert's grip and snuggling closer against him, apparently reassured by the close contact and in turn Robert felt himself calm down as well. The Beastmaster was probably right and some sort of connection had been forged between the two of them when Alain had - yeah, what exactly... hatched?

"How was I to know the mystery gift would be a hellhound whelp?" T'lark said and made Robert cringe. The bodyguard really had no clue about how to present facts carefully at a speed that would not aggravate Thomar further.

"Come again?" Thomar blinked at the alien in incredulous outrage. Then he turned to Robert. "Hellhound whelp?!"

"Uhm... yes, my lord." Alain yelped indignantly as Robert pressed him closer to his chest protectively.

Thomar rubbed his face, quite obviously trying to calm himself.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Robert tried to reassure him. "Alain is not always burning. He's just frightened." At Thomar confused look he belatedly added. "I've named him Alain."

So far, the Beastmaster had kept quiet, but now he used the opportunity to bow deeply and address the duke: "Most honoured Lord, I deeply apologize for having inconvenienced you in any way. This was not my intention or the intention of my mistress. If it pleases you I will immediately remove the youngling..."

"NO!" Robert interrupted him, startling himself and Thomar with the depth of his own emotion and the force he had spoken with.

Thomar grimaced. "I would say it is a little late for that..." Now he finally paid attention to the demon. "Who the hell are you anyway...?"

"I serve as the Beastmaster for the esteemed Lady Car Astarte Sesh." The demon introduced himself once again. "She sent me here to deliver her gift."

"And why does your esteemed Lady send gifts to my pet?" Now Thomar's voice had a suspicious edge.

"I'm afraid I am not privy to her reasons, my lord." The demon answered, bowing again.

Of course Robert knew Thomar would turn to him next but he still felt distinctly uncomfortable when his master asked him: "Isn't that the same demon who gave you that coat?"

Robert nodded.

"And I seem to recall I asked you to let me know if she approached you again, didn't I?" Now Thomar's voice was dangerously calm.

"Yes, my lord." With any other master, Robert would have long been on his knees begging forgiveness by now. But that would have meant setting down the burning puppy. And it would have meant Thomar was any other master. And Thomar wasn't. Robert was past the point where he just wanted to believe it. He did believe it.

For a long moment, he and Thomar looked each other in the eyes. Then Thomar laughed and shook his head, proving once more why Robert loved him.

"Let's me guess: you were planning to tell me later and then all this," he encompassed the room with a sweeping gesture, "happened."

"I'm sorry." Robert said, truly meaning it.

Thomar waved him off. "Blood down the mountain." 

It was one of his odd Youh'Kai sayings. Robert was never sure what they exactly meant. This one seemed to signify that something was over and not important anymore.

"So I can keep him?" Robert asked hopefully.

Thomar now for the first time eyed Alain who glared back with his snout still in Robert grip. "If you can make him stop burning. And you will be taking care of him. I don't want to find my shoes chewed up and I never want to see him in our bed."

Robert nodded eagerly. In truth, he had no idea how to achieve that, but he would certainly try.

"Actually the demon was just explaining how to quiet the little monster." T'lark jumped back into the conversation.

The Beastmaster bowed once more. "It will only obey its master's commands." He explained, turning to Robert again. "You must tell it to stop burning, and it will."

Robert looked down doubtfully at the brightly burning bundle in his arms who was happily gazing back at him.

"Why isn't it burning Robert anyway?" T'lark asked curiously.

"It is incapable of harming its master." The demon explained, but was cut short by another angry outburst from Robert.

"Will you quit calling him 'it'! His name is Alain."

T'lark had the good grace to at least look contrite, while the Beastmaster made one of his unreadable grimaces again.

"Well then, tell Alain to stop it or I swear I'll dumb him in a bucket of water." Thomar growled, slowly coming to the end of his patience.

It felt like a strange thing to do, but Robert decided to just take the chance. He looked down at his puppy and said sternly. "That's enough now, Alain. Stop that burning."

He was as surprised as T'lark and Thomar when Alain replied with a happy "Wroof." And went out, his white hot flames turning back to soft, rust coloured fur. Only the Beastmaster nodded with obvious satisfaction.

"If you permit I shall now demonstrate how to lock up the beast..." The demon started but was interrupted by both T'lark and Robert's "No!" this time.

"I think it would be safer if you just explain instead of demonstrating." T'lark added to his outburst while Robert used the opportunity to glare at the demon again.

"Indeed." The young duke gestured for the Beastmaster to continue.

The demon returned to the wooden box Alain's crystal shell had been transported in and rummaged in the packaging material until he produced a beautifully crafted amulet from the bottom. It was a shard of crystal the same colour as larger one had been, held in clamps of gold which were formed like delicate claws. It hung on a matching golden chain.

"This is used to contain the beast when it is not fighting or hunting." he explained. "The grarr is banished into the crystal by the command of its master and can safely be carried anywhere by its master to be released again at another simple command."

Robert stared at the tiny crystal in horror. The thought of locking up the happy, warm bundle of fur in his arms in it was unbearable. His eyes went to Thomar next, silently pleading with his master while at the same time hugging Alain so tight the puppy yelped again.

Thomar's expression remained blank for a moment and as usual Robert had no idea what was going on in his head. Then Thomar sighed deeply and he went over to the demon and picked the amulet from his claws.

"Do you have any idea if the grarr will be uncomfortable while locked up in the crystal?" he asked.

Now finally catching on to the fact that Robert was unduly concerned for the well-being of the hellhound whelp, the Beastmaster phrased his reply carefully. "As far as it is known, the beasts sleep while locked up in there. I can assure you there are no ill effects on them."

Thomar nodded. "That will be all then. You may return to your mistress and convey my pet's appreciation of her gift."

Belatedly Robert realized that he had not thanked the Beastmaster at all. After all, the demon had just tried to do his duty. He really had been behaving quite out of character but the mere thought of someone threatening Alain quickened his pulse again. He would really need to work on getting his reactions under control. At least he managed a graceful nod as the Beastmaster bowed again and then left.

"You can go, too. I will talk to you later." Thomar told T'lark darkly.

"My lord." The alien for once had the good sense to bow as well and quickly leave the ducal suite, closing the door behind him.

Thomar turned back to Robert and now, alone with him, Robert felt the urge to apologize again. "I'm so sorry," he said, "I had no idea... I know this is all very... I'm sorry..." He realized he had no idea at all how to explain his behaviour and that it would be entirely appropriate if Thomar punished him. Which made him ask again. "Can I keep him? Please?"

He was reassured by his master's smile. "Robert, I'm not going to pry that puppy out of your arms." Thomar shook his head. "You should see yourself. You're actually quite cute."

Robert let out a relived sigh. "Thank you."

"It will probably even be good for you. The responsibility as well as the little beast giving you something to do besides waiting for me. But," Thomar continued. "As I have said before: you take care of him. I don't want to deal with any trouble he might cause."

Robert nodded solemnly while at the same time wondering how he would manage to keep a burning puppy from causing trouble left and right. He would indeed be busy.

"He will also not distract you from being my pet. When I have need of you, he goes in here." Thomar held up the crystal amulet.

Robert winced at the thought, but he knew Thomar was right. It was the best way to make sure Alain wouldn't annoy his master's master.

Thomar dropped the amulet onto the side table next to the fireplace.

"And now you are going to explain to me why that demon lady would give you something as precious as a hellhound puppy. What the hell does she want?"

\---

There was one thing even more beautiful than freshly fallen snow and glittering icicles, Robert thought, and that was when all that ice and snow began to melt. Maybe the grey mud the snow had turned into wasn't so pretty, but the ice on the roofs dripping a myriad of watery jewels sure was. And one could well keep the eyes trained on that, watching from the high windows of the throne room.

His appearances at court had been rare in the last few weeks. For the very first time in his long live, he had been too busy to attend social matters.

Taking care of a hellhound puppy who was prone to bursting aflame when annoyed or scared or very happy was nearly a full-time job and he also had a master to care for.

To Robert, the thawing meant that he would be able to go outside with Alain more often where the whelp would have room to run and less stuff to set on fire. Not that he ever did it on purpose. The little darling was trying just as hard as Robert to be good. But he was a little rascal and easily excited. That he had not damaged anything important so far was in equal parts miracle and due to the constant vigilance of Robert and T'lark, who he had roped into helping him by arguing that it had been partly T'lark's fault that Alain was now part of the household.

Not that T'lark had resisted too much. He seemed quite fond of Alain himself.

Thomar was another matter entirely. When he was home or taking Robert out, Alain always was locked up in the amulet, just like he was now. With gentle prodding and asking, Robert had found out that his master simply didn't get along with animals and liked them 'at a distance or dead on a plate'. Somehow, it was reassuring to know there actually was something the young duke didn't excel at.

He had, however, been quite helpful in obtaining more information about hellhounds - or grarr, the proper demon word for them - and on how to properly raise them. Even though everything about raising them had been quickly discarded by Robert and T'lark.

Apparently, hellhounds were priced possessions among the demon nobility. Once hatched, they irrevocably bonded with the person who held their crystal. They had the unique ability to pick up the 'psychic scent' of a person or creature and follow its trail. That made them an invaluable asset in tracking fugitives across the diverse pocket realms of the demon empire. Grown up, they had a shoulder height reaching up to Robert's hip and they were fierce beasts indeed. 

Just like the Beastmaster had originally suggested, they were usually kept locked up and only unleashed to hunt or fight. All information on how to best raise them contained lots of facts about which kind of pain and cruel treatment were best to foster their aggressiveness and quickly get them into a battle rage.

Needless to say, Alain's upbringing was progressing pretty much in the opposite direction. There were lost of cuddles, playing and treats. He probably was the happiest, most well adjusted and best behaved hellhound in two empires.

Robert smiled as he fingered the amulet he always wore. It was slightly warm to the touch when Alain was asleep in it. And Robert was pretty sure he actually was asleep once he was inside the amulet. The connection between the two of them was quite real and he could always tell how Alain was feeling as the puppy's feelings bled over into his. 

Learning how to separate his own feelings from those of the whelp had been another thing he had spent quite some time on in the last weeks. T'lark had ended up giving him some meditation lessons to help him become more aware of what his emotions were and where the puppy overwhelmed him.

Another strange development in his life. Each afternoon, he would sit down for half an hour and try to empty his mind, try to become silent and just be. At first, these sessions had driven T'lark insane with frustration. It hadn't been hard for Robert at all to just be nothing. That's what any pet was supposed to be, after all - a blank canvas for the master to paint on. It had taken quite a while until he was able to comprehend that he wasn't supposed to be nothing at all, but to be wholly himself without any outside interference. Pretty much the opposite of what a pet was to be.

Now he was slowly getting the hang of it. Or at least T'lark had said so. And the empathic alien certainly knew better than Robert.

The hushed silence that fell over the throne room announced that the event Robert was here for today was about to begin. He turned away from the window to watch as the Lady Car Astarte Sesh made her way towards the throne where for once, Thomar was sitting upright and attentive.

At the appropriate distance, she bowed down on one knee. Members of court knew what was going to happen, but there were enough guests - noble, commoner and demon - to raise a surprised murmur.

Robert smiled. He felt quite pleased with how things had turned out. After he had told his master what the Lady had asked of him, Thomar had remembered that she had asked him for a private audience before. If he just granted one to any demon, he would have been busy around the clock, so she had been refused.

After listening to Robert's explanation, he agreed to see her for two reasons. He was damned curious why she was going through so much trouble and - as he told Robert with a smirk - he enjoyed the idea of people believing they could gain his favour by showering his pet with gifts. It was a great way to find out what people wanted of him without making any commitment. After all Robert was just a pet and people who thought bribing him would work in their favour couldn't complain to anybody, if it didn't work.

Robert, of course, was much less comfortable with that much attention directed his way, but if it pleased his master, he would deal with getting bribed more often in the future. After all, it had brought Alain into his live.

Thomar had met with the Lady Car and it turned she didn't just want to offer her assistance in reparations on Aylian - she wanted to emigrate to the Phoenix Empire and Aylian, bringing all her minions with her. Apparently, her current superior, Prince Skeel, was about to get himself killed, and she wanted to use the window between his death and a new Prince claiming her loyalty to escape. In turn for a place on Aylian and a noble's standing for herself, she offered her featly to the Duke of Aylian.

Considering her minions consisted mainly of seasoned troops of winged demons trained in aerial combat, it was a sweet deal for him. Especially as the demons asked for higher grounds, preferably a remote mountain range, where they would not bother anybody. Aylian had an abundance of craggy mountains where no humans or Youh'Kai lived, so Thomar wasn't even giving anything away he had need of.

There was only one ugly detail that might have ruined it: no demon without a soul of its own was permitted to become a citizen of the Phoenix Empire.

So Lady Car submitted to being tested by the priests. Robert wasn't surprised when she had been proclaimed 'souled'. She simply was too nice to be a soulless monster. Her minions, of course, didn't all have souls, but they were bound to her will and she agreed to have several priests assigned to her people who would watch and work with the demons to gain souls or to weed out the hopeless cases.

Now it was time to finalize the arrangements that had been forged over the last weeks.

The Duke of Aylian listened as Lady Car swore her allegiance and in turn granted her the title of baroness and lands along with his benevolent protection.

Her troops were a force to be reckoned with and it gave the young duke another bit of extra leverage in maintaining his position. In the constant battle for supremacy that was Phoenix Empire court politics, it was a victory for Thomar and it would be noted.

Also sharply noted was the fact that Lady Car politely nodded towards Robert when she departed. 

Staying the invisible pet had just gotten harder again.


	10. An Impossible Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke Thomar visits the Youh'Kai village he grew up at and invites Robert to accompany him

Gasping for breath, Robert leaned against one of the huge boulders dotting the seemingly endless hillside steeply rising before him. Thomar and T'lark were several yards ahead of him, climbing with an appalling lack of effort.

For the hundredth time today Robert wondered how it was that every time Thomar suggested something, it sounded like a great idea at first and then, when one was in the middle of it, turned out to be a mess. And why he still always fell for those suggestions.

Once again, it had all started innocently enough. Winter had lost its icy grasp and with the gentle breeze of spring in the air, Thomar had announced that he would take two days off from being Duke to visit the Youh'Kai village he had grown up at. His family, as he called it. He had not seen them since he had been snatched away to become Duke after the suicide of his real mother. Now that his rule was cemented, he could afford to go.

Robert had felt honoured when Thomar asked him to come. He never spoke much about his Youh'Kai family, but Robert could tell it meant much to him. That he wished to share this with his pet touched Robert deeply. 

The times when Robert had been scared of the psychic aliens had long past, constant exposure to Thomar's Youh'Kai bodyguards had seen to that. Maybe these Youh'Kai living in the mountains of Aylian were more savage and dangerous, but Robert trusted his master to protect him.

What Thomar had failed to mention was the fact that there was no proper landing space for a glider anywhere near the remote village they were visiting. Therefore they had parked the glider further down, and by now they had been climbing uphill for well over an hour. Not the kind of exertion Robert was used to. He was a spoiled court pet and an old one at that. Right now he felt every year and every extra rasher of bacon he had had over the dreary months of winter.

Even constantly running around on a leash attached to an adventurous puppy hadn't prepared him for this.

Robert gently stroked the amulet safely tugged away under his shirt. Alain would have a great time bouncing all over the slope. It would be a veritable nightmare to chase him down again. For once, it was a good thing that he had to remain locked up when Thomar was around.

"Robert? Are you alright?" Thomar called from further up.

Apparently, his master had finally noticed that his darling pet was falling behind. Blasted bastard. Briefly, Robert wondered when he had discarded the deeply ingrained servile attitude that demanded he worship his master in all things. He was past that with this particular master, who he loved and adored much more than he could ever worship him. Thomar must have known this would be one hell of a trip for Robert. He always thought of everything, after all. So he skipped the grovelling in his reply as well.

"No, I'm not alright!" he called back, the brief rest having restored his ability to breathe properly. "I'm going to die of a heart attack any minute now!" He glared up at Thomar for all that he was worth and then added spitefully: "My lord!"

The breeze carried T'lark's laughter downhill. Blasted, heartless alien. 'Let him climb a mountain when he gets to my age', Robert thought.

"We can take a break, if you want." Thomar offered a lot more helpfully. "But it's not much further now. At the top of the slope you'll already be able to see the entrance to the village."

Of course this Youh'Kai village, like most of the mountain settlements of the alien race, was located underground. The planet was riddled with extensive cavern systems, many of them interconnecting. It was a feature shared with the Youh'Kai home world Far'Gesh where the aliens lived underground as well. It was also the reason why Aylian had been one of the last planets won back from them in the great war between their race and humanity. Hidden in the heavily fortified caverns it had been very hard to route them out.

Historians postulated that some deep pockets of resistance had never even been found and had continued to plague Aylian's rulers as breeding grounds for Youh'Kai rebellions ever since.

Robert had tried to read up on the history prior to this visit, but had found the mix of dry facts and wild speculations unbearable. Neither would serve him well when visiting the actual people.

Asking T'lark had not been very helpful either. The Youh'Kai had a plethora of stories to share about oppression and exploitation in recent history, but not much about how the aliens had first conquered and then lost Aylian again centuries ago. 

At least Robert had been treated to some quite amusing tales of the times when T'lark and F'leer had still been terrorists, preying on the nobility and rich commoners of Aylian. Asking F'leer would probably have resulted in a lecture on how Youh'Kai rights had been ignored. T'lark had provided colourful tales of adventure and mischief which made the terrorist acts - which had gotten them sentenced to death - sound like pranks.

"Come on! You can do it, old man!" T'lark teased him from up ahead.

Robert resisted the urge to throw one of the many convenient stones at him and instead pushed off from the boulder he had been leaning against. He'd make it up that mountain somehow and if he died of a stroke in the process at least he could be sure that Thomar would feel sorry for it for the rest of his life.

At least, this time they waited for him and when he reached them, Thomar had a small, happy smile for Robert that made him admit that the effort was worth it after all. Thomar was willing to share his family with him. Something personal, something he was not sharing with anyone else at court, discounting his unruly Youh'Kai bodyguards. It was a measure of trust and inclusion that proved once more to Robert that his feelings for his master were returned.

They continued together and a little while later, they finally reached the top of the slope. Here the mountain rose up in an uneven cliff face, but at the foot of it a narrow path led up to some huge boulders which looked like they had been scattered by a giant child throwing a temper tantrum.

Thomar pointed ahead and Robert could make out old, faded marking on the boulders. Some carved into the stone, some painted and nearly washed away. Youh'Kai pictograms.

Robert wanted to ask what they said, but funnily T'lark asked the same question before he could.

Thomar smirked at him. "You can't read Youh'Kai?" he mocked.

T'lark shrugged, slightly chagrined. "I grew up in the city slums." He said. "No one around to teach me cultural stuff. Too busy surviving."

"They tell the story of the village." Thomar explained. "How these caverns were found, who settled them first. What great battles their warriors were involved in. Visions of the future glimpsed by the priests. It's history and prophecy."

"So a little more elaborate than a city limits sign then?" T'lark grinned insolently and was promptly kicked in the shin by Thomar.

"Your lack of respect for your race's cultural heritage is despicable." Thomar cheerfully announced.

Robert smiled. It was a rare treat to see the Duke of Aylian shed his mature cloak of rulership and behave so carefree. Robert was aware that he was the one who shared most of these moments.

"Are they even expecting us or will we be shot on sight?" T'lark asked as they walked between the towering stone slabs. 

"They only shoot unwelcome visitors so we should be rid of you soon enough." Thomar continued their playful banter.

He did however have a slight frown on his face now. "I do wonder where the guards are." He muttered, more to himself and quickened his pace.

Not knowing what he was looking for, Robert only noticed the entrance to the caverns when they had nearly reached it. He had expected some impressive, huge, awning cave mouth but instead it was a tunnel, barely wide enough for two men to walk side by side, unmarked and unassuming. Apparently, the entrance should have been guarded since Thomar frown deepened.

The tunnel took a sharp turn only a few steps inside and now looked much less natural suddenly. It widened and elaborate murals decorated the smooth walls, reminding Robert of the patterns of Youh'Kai bone ridges. Softly glowing electric lamps hung at intervals from the rising ceiling. It looked beautiful and actually quite welcoming.

A lot more welcoming than the angry shouting from several voices up ahead.

With dismay, Robert noticed that both Thomar and T'lark were now tense and alert, T'lark's hand resting on his blaster. 

They emerged from the tunnel and stepped into a large cavern. The ceiling here was so high Robert could not make it out in the murky shadows above, the cavern floor was paved with aged mosaics. Other tunnels opened up in all directions from it. In the centre was a large fire pit which only held a small fire currently.

Several Youh'Kai stood next to it, arguing. One group wore traditional armour, armed with the long, vicious looking daggers favoured by their race as well as with a few blaster rifles. The other group was dressed in more civilian clothes. 

They were shouting at each other in the Youh'Kai tongue, so Robert could only guess at what their argument was about. His skills with the language were still sorely lacking even though he had made a point of learning at least some of it.

Thomar quickly made his way over to them with T'lark and Robert trailing behind at a little distance.

When they noticed Thomar, there was a moment of surprised silence, but then an older woman recognized him.

"T'mar?" she exclaimed, followed by a flood of Youh'Kai words, too quick for Robert to even comprehend a few. 

She wrapped Thomar in a tight embrace and from both their smiles Robert deduced that this had to be the woman who had raised Thomar as her son. Then the other Youh'Kai joined in, apparently explaining what was going on. 

Robert caught some words that he thought were referring to an attack or theft of some kind but he wasn't sure. He glanced questioningly at T'lark, who had remained next to him and was listening. 

"A priestess has been kidnapped." T'lark explained. "They were preparing to go free her but some of them think an attack would be unwise."

He was probably leaving out important details, but Robert didn't ask. This was most certainly not something he wished to get involved in. Like most matters involving Thomar, it didn't look like he'd have a choice, though. The Youh'Kai group had noticed him and T'lark now and the woman who had hugged Thomar was gesturing towards them, clearly questioning Thomar about them.

Robert didn't catch Thomar's answer. The reaction, however, was obvious. Suddenly they all went silent and looked from him to Thomar and back. He couldn't read their expressions well, but as far as he could tell they ranged from shocked over outraged to simply curious. So apparently, at least some of them didn't approve that Thomar had brought his pet.

He watched with a sinking feeling as Thomar's surrogate mother purposefully walked over to them, pushing Thomar in front of her. She had been one of those with a rather shocked expression, but now she put on a polite smile.

Robert had a brief moment to wonder if it would be appropriate to kneel when she stopped in front of him and then laid a hand on his shoulder in a greeting that Robert recognized as being reserved for honoured guests.

"I am pleased to meet my son's nar'sini." She said.

That was a term Robert was familiar with, and it was certainly not one he would have expected to hear designating himself. In Youh'Kai culture, there were three different kinds of possible relationship. One was similar to human marriage, only it was mostly used for a union of monetary or political reasons. Another was something like a shield mate oath, only of course the Youh'Kai version involved a lot more blood and sex. The last was a union of love, declaring another person 'nar'sini' could loosely be translated as 'lifemate'.

Apparently, T'lark was just as surprised, as they both gaped at Thomar who smiled back at Robert reassuringly and nodded. Of course, he had probably chosen the term to cut short any questions, Robert realized. Then again, Thomar rarely did anything without good reason and this left Robert with a decidedly uneasy feeling. Being the Duke's cherished pet was something he had slowly gotten used to and he now allowed himself to believe that there were real, deep emotions between them. This sudden declaration was so much more significant that Robert wasn't at all sure how to deal with it.

He forcefully pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

"It is an honour to meet Thomar's... T'mar's mother." He politely returned the greeting.

\---

 

"Okay, let me try to sum this up so I can be certain I really understand the magnitude of stupidity you are proposing here." 

T'lark's voice held a mix of disbelief, despair and outrage that would have been comical if he hadn't been dead serious for a change. That was probably what worried Robert the most. If even T'lark didn't like the plan, it had to pretty insane.

"You are going to dress up as a Verata priest and charm your way into their monastery to find that Youh'Kai girl and then miraculously rescue her."

"She is not some girl." Thomar interrupted him with cold calm. "Her name is M'leah and she is my friend. I will no more leave her to the Verata's tender mercies then I would abandon you or Robert."

They were sitting around the small fireplace in the kitchen of Thomar's mother who had been introduced as K'lua. Each of them had been supplied with a mug of steaming hot tea, brewed from dried mushrooms. Thomar's mother was leaning against the wall next to the fireplace with a deep frown. Even she didn't look happy with Thomar's plan.

"I spoke against the young warrior's plan to attack the monastery." She said now. "And I don't see how yours is better."

Thomar sighed in what Robert recognized as his 'I'm surrounded by idiots'-tone. "Let me explain it then." He said with thin patience. "There is a fleet of Belligra ships in orbit guarding that demon portal. If they hear about an attack on a Verata monastery by Youh'Kai, they will rain down death and destruction on this village and likely a few more for good measure and ask questions later. If however I - a human and the Duke of this fucking ball of rock - sneak into that monastery and steal M'leah from under their nose they will keep it very quiet."

"So why don't you just go all Dukey and order them to release her?" T'lark asked a question which Robert could already guess the answer to. Sometimes there were perks to being well versed with how politics worked.

"Because that would mean going through official channels. They would deny even having her and by the time I could force them to let me in there would be no trace of her remaining." Thomar supplied exactly the answer Robert had expected.

"You still don't have the sliver of a chance to get into that monastery." T'lark offered the objection that worried Robert the most as well. "They will know that you are lying."

Thomar smirked. "I have a way with words. I thought you would have noticed by now." That brought a small smile to K'lua's lips as if she was recalling a younger Thomar. "The trick is not to say anything that is a direct lie."

"T'mar is right about that." She conceded reluctantly. "He might be the only one who does have a chance."

T'lark looked from one to the other with increasing despair. "I can't just let you walk in there alone!" he then exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what F'leer is going to do to me?!"

Robert felt his heart suddenly grow cold when Thomar turned his smile on him. "Ah, but I don't plan to go alone." He said. "I fact, I don't think I will be able to pull this off alone. I'll need Robert's help for that."

"What?" The word came out as an undignified, scared squeak, but Robert didn't care.

Of course he shouldn't even have been surprised. After all, it was always him who got drafted into Thomar's mad schemes.

He watched with growing horror as Thomar reached out and took his hand. "Please. I need you." His master and lover said softly, with a begging voice that would have melted a stone. "I promise it will work out."

A desperate laugh escaped Robert. Of course he would beg and make it impossible to say no when he could just have demanded like any good master should.

"What the fuck do you need Robert for?!" T'lark exclaimed.

For a moment Robert couldn't place the emotion in his voice but then he realized that is was genuine worry for him. T'lark didn't want him to get hurt and he sounded like he was willing to defend him even against his Duke. It brought a small smile to Robert's face. If there was one thing he had never expected, it was to find himself with a Youh'Kai warrior friend.

"He's part of my disguise. He's going to be the reason why I'm there at all and he'll be intriguing enough for them to let us in." Thomar explained without really explaining anything.

"Care to elaborate?" T'lark growled before Robert could phrase the question more politely.

"Oh, quite simply." Thomar grinned in a way quite familiar to Robert. He was actually enjoying this. It was the same toothy grin he always showed when he was looking forward to fooling someone. "I will tell them that I have found a slave who is obviously lying but his lies can't be detected. Then I'll have Robert tell them he is the Duke's pet. They won't believe that. Undetectable lie. They won't be able to resist that mystery."

At least he didn't expect any heroics from Robert. Of course, it still was an insane plan.

“That might actually work.” K’lua mused while T’lark looked like he had swallowed something incredibly vile.

“Will you help me with this?” Thomar asked, turning back to Robert. “I will not order you to do it. I ask your help and I will accept it if you refuse.”

His honesty and genuine care made Robert feel all fuzzy inside. Of course, he was entirely incapable of refusing his master anything. If he had been asked to jump into the maw of a monster, he would have done so as well. Slavery didn’t do that to people, only love did. What a terrible, wonderful thing.

“I’ll help.” He said, slightly appalled at how weak and scared he sounded and at the same time amused at being appalled by it. When had he stopped being the meek little scared pet and decided that being brave and strong were desirable traits? It must have been a sneaking change or he would have noticed it and reflected upon it. Apparently, now it was too late.

But it didn’t matter as Thomar smiled at him and gratefully squeezed his hand.

“Bah, you are both insane!” T’lark exclaimed and threw his hands up in defeat.

“Awh, you are just jealous you can’t come.” Thomar teased him and was rewarded with a murderous glare that clearly exposed how right Thomar was.

At that Thomar showed mercy and turned his attention to his K’lua. “Mother, do you have any idea why they went after M’leah?” he asked. “That monastery has been there forever and they haven’t bothered you in ages.”

The Youh’Kai shrugged. “We and them have pretty much ignored each other. Actually you and your merry band were the last to even go near it.”

“We used to go there when we were younger.” Thomar explained at the questioning looks from Robert and T’lark. “It was a test of courage who would sneak up close enough to the walls of the monastery and write something on it.”

Robert couldn’t help but smile at the image of a boyish Thomar, running around with a bunch of feral Youh’Kai kids, getting into all sorts of mischief.

“From what we saw of them back then, it was mostly really old priests.” Thomar continued. “I would guess the monastery to be something like a retirement home where Verata go to spend the last of their years in misery.”

“Well, the two priests who came and ambushed M’leah were definitely young and fit.” K’lua said. “I mean, they came with a freaking hoverbike. Who has ever seen that up here and on a Verata no less. Aren’t they anti-tech or something?”

It made Robert wonder why they hadn’t come with hoverbikes and saved themselves the climb up the mountain, but he kept that complaint to himself.

“They used to be, but that’s about 60 years ago.” Thomar replied. “They have modernized and reformed a lot, lately. Actually they have been getting along really well with the Youh’Kai, working together with priests of Khastai. That’s why nowadays many of them run around with tattoos similar to your bone ridges.”

Khastai was the Youh’Kai goddess of pain and memory. Robert had learned that her priests were responsible for shaping the bone ridges of Youh’Kai to reflect important events in their lives. A gruesomely painful procedure which was a central part of Youh’Kai culture and history. Why the Verata would be copying them was beyond him.

“M’leah serves Khastai.” K’lua stated.

“She does?” Thomar looked honestly impressed. “Wow, that’s great. She never told me which god she was going for.”

“Doesn’t explain why those priests would take her, though.” T’lark mused. 

“No, but it might be useful that I know now.” Thomar got up from his seat. “Let’s see what we can put together for a convincing Verata outfit. The sooner we leave, the more likely we are to get to the monastery before nightfall.”

\---

 

The sun was sinking low behind them, casting the mountains looming before them and the ancient monastery nestled into the back of the small valley into a warm orange glow. The valley itself was an open meadow dotted with a few copses of trees. It looked peaceful, almost serene. Birds were singing their goodnight songs to the sun and Robert watched a pair of bumblebees lazily drift from one tiny blossom to the other.

It would have been the perfect set for a romantic picnic, Robert mused wistfully.

Sadly, the company was severely lacking. K’lua had done a splendid job in dressing up Thomar as a Verata. Long, dark red robes that looked worn and a little threadbare, including a hood. Of course it was Thomar himself who made it work. By now, Robert wasn’t surprised anymore how easily his master slipped into different roles. He had slicked back his wavy hair, somehow managing to make it look thinning. Dark circles under his eyes and a little coal dust on his cheeks gave him a haggard look that was made more believable by his slightly stooped posture, one hand wrapped around a walking staff like a gnarly claw. He looked twice as old as he really was and definitely like a Verata priest in a very bad mood.

Robert had not been required to put on any costume. His simple travel clothes worked just fine, Thomar had assured him, for a mysterious slave whose lies should puzzle the monastery inhabitant enough to let them in.

It had taken them almost three hours to get here and Robert felt tired enough just to lie down and fall asleep where he stood. He really was too old for this adventuring business. At least they hadn’t climbed any more mountains but stuck to proper pathways.

Just outside the valley, they had separated from T’lark who had refused to stay behind at the Youh’Kai village. Even if he couldn’t enter the monastery, he at least wanted to be close by in case they could use his help somehow.

Robert nervously fingered the spot where normally the amulet containing Alain would be. He had left it with T’lark. An amulet with a decided demon taint was not something you took to a Verata monastery unless you wanted it destroyed. It’s absence was still making him nervous.

“Ready?” Thomar asked next to him.

Trying to put on a brave smile, Robert looked at his master who so much didn’t look like his master. “No.” he replied honestly. “But let’s do it anyway before I change my mind and run.”

The twinkle in Thomar’s eyes was familiar and reassuring, but quickly disappeared again.

“If anything goes wrong, stay behind me or hide.” Thomar told him. “I know what I’m doing. Just trust my lead, whatever I do.”

Robert nodded. The bad thing was that he really did trust Thomar. No pet should ever trust a master, but what could he do against trusting his lover? Nothing at all.

Together they followed the path meandering through the valley. It really was a beautiful place. The trees turned out to be apple trees, apparently leftovers from a proper orchard. They were bearing lots of small fruit. It would still be a month or two before they ripened but Robert had no trouble imagining a younger Thomar sneaking around here with his Youh’Kai mates, stealing apples.

He couldn’t help but wonder how that boy had been, without the responsibilities of a Duke and no threat of ever having to leave his village. Thomar seemed to be coping well enough and lately he even seemed to enjoy his job. But that was really the crux of it: being Duke was a job to Thomar, a duty, not something he wanted to be. He seemed to completely lack that craving for power that Robert had found in most nobles he had met in his pet career. Probably Thomar would have been happier with a life as a travelling conman or something equally adventurous and disreputable.

Robert preferred his safe position as a Duke’s cherished pet. He would of course have followed Thomar anywhere but he doubted he would have liked it.

“Something is wrong.” Thomar’s voice was soft and his gaze fixed on the monastery up ahead which was now looming dark and forbidding.

“What?” Robert’s voice sounded scared and he didn’t care this time. As if their plan was insane enough. Now something additional was wrong?

“I’m not sure.” Thomar in contrast sounded calm and slightly puzzled. “It’s too dark. The monastery was always well lit at this hour. And… I can’t really pinpoint it. I just know something is wrong.” He made a small, annoyed sound in the back of his throat. “Things could get very ugly very quickly in there. Be careful.”

Be careful? Robert groaned quietly. What the hell was he supposed to do with that advice?

But it was too late for questions, as they reached the heavy wooden gate of the monastery which appeared to be very firmly locked.

Thomar stepped right up to it and used his walking stick to knock. The sound felt way too loud to Robert, the heavy thuds ringing out like some clarion call of doom. For a while, nothing happened and Robert felt the ridiculous hope that no one would be home and they would just leave again. 

Thomar was raising his staff to knock again when a small window set into the gate was opened and a male face with a decidedly hostile frown peered out at them.

“Yes?”

Robert expected Thomar to say something polite and then launch into their cover story, but as usual his master surprised him.

“About time!” he exclaimed angrily. “What the fuck happened to hospitality around here! Brothers used to be welcome in these walls!”

The man’s expression turned from hostile to confused. “I… erh…”

“Well, boy, what are you waiting for?! Open the gate!” Thomar ordered with the clear authority of someone used to being obeyed instantly – be it a Duke or a priest.

Robert didn’t expect that approach to work, but once more it became obvious that Thomar was much more skilled at judging such situations. The face disappeared and then they heard the sound of the gate hurriedly being unlocked. Thomar breathed a small sigh of relief next to Robert, but when the heavy gate was pulled open he was all indignant and bossy again, pushing inside before the person opening the gate could change their mind.

It turned out to be a young man in Verata robes, looking still hostile but also quite overwhelmed.

Behind the gate the central yard of the monastery was dark. No lights were lit at all.

“Where’s the abbot?” Thomar demanded. “And don’t give me some crap about him being busy!”

The Verata’s reaction looked strange even to Robert. He hastily glanced over his shoulder and ducked in a manner that spoke of bad conscience and maybe even fear. He was just opening his mouth to reply something when another priest joined them, appearing out of the gloom like a bloody spectre.

“What is this ruckus about?” The new priest sounded a lot more confident than his younger colleague. His robes were the same simple dark red cloth as the younger man’s but he carried himself with an air of authority. “Who are you?”

Thomar turned to him and Robert felt panic rise in his throat. How was his master going to answer that question without lying?

“I’m Brother Jonas, travelling in the name of mother church to find heretics and demonists.” Thomar answered smoothly with the most blatant lie Robert could imagine.

Robert felt like the floor was dropping away under them as Thomar and the older priest stared at each other. The priest would know of course. And something terrible would happen. It was impossible to lie to a Verata.

“Very well. And what brings you to our doorstep at this hour?” The priest asked, entirely oblivious to Thomar’s lie.

Robert managed to silence his gasp of surprise before it could escape his mouth. Impossible. This was entirely impossible. But somehow Thomar had pulled it off and would now present their story. Things would work out after all.

“Possible demon influence on this slave.” Thomar gestured vaguely in Robert’s direction, keeping all his attention focused on the priest. “Where is the abbot?” he asked again with an impatient edge to his voice.

Why he wanted to see the abbot was beyond Robert. The more experienced Verata would be even more dangerous. He had no idea what Thomar was doing. Why wasn’t he sticking to the plan?

“The abbot is indisposed.” The Verata answered, apparently quite annoyed by the insistent question.

Thomar tense up next to Robert and he realized his master was subtly shifting to a defensive stance.

“Not an outright lie but not entirely true.” Thomar said coldly. “What are you hiding?”

Once more Robert felt like the world was doing a double flip. How could Thomar tell? Robert himself was reasonably good at reading people but he hadn’t been able to detect anything. Did the young Duke always know when someone was lying?

Robert would have liked to carefully consider the matter, but events were moving too quickly as suddenly the loud hiss of a blaster shot rang out and almost at the same moment Robert was momentarily blinded by the brilliant flash of light of a state-of-the-art energy shield around himself activating and harmlessly dissipating that shot.

The fact that he didn’t remember putting on any such shield and the panic at being shot at didn’t keep him from immediately dropping to the ground to find what little cover he could.

By the time his eyes had re-adjusted to the gloom of the yard the scene presented to him had changed dramatically. The younger priest apparently was the one who had shot at him. He was now lying on the ground in a pool of blood, a throwing knife firmly imbedded in his throat. The older priest was limping away across the yard, holding his thigh, leaving a trail of blood behind as well. 

For a moment Robert wasn’t able to locate Thomar but then an angry shout from the low roof of the stables to the right alerted him. Another priest and Thomar were struggling near the edge, both of them trying to keep another blaster pistol out of each others face.

While every instinct and his master’s orders demanded he find a place to hide some calm madness – probably induced by to much contact to a certain Youh’Kai warrior – made Robert creep over to where the dead priest lay. His hands were shaking as he picked up the dropped blaster but he did it anyway. He’d never held such a weapon but had watched them handled enough by his various masters to know which end to point where and where to find the trigger.

The screeching sound of hoverbike starting up riveted his attention to the back of the yard. The wounded priest was clinging to the bike and slowly pulling it up.

With grim determination Robert raised the blaster pistol and took careful aim. It was a slow moving target and a big one at that. How hard could it be? He fired the pistol. The shot missed the bike but the priest now frantically veered to the left. The bike however was still in its start up routine and reacting only sluggishly. Robert adjusted his aim, his hands steady now. He fired again. This time he hit the front of the bike. For a moment it still hung in the air, then its sounds died and it crashed back into the yard, burying the priest under a heap of now immobile metal.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful?” Thomar’s voice broke through Robert concentration. He was now standing at the edge of the roof with his hands on his hips, the third priest a crumpled figure by his feet.

“I was careful.” Robert called back, a giddy grin spreading on his face. His hands were shaking again with excitement now and he carefully aimed the blaster at the ground.

Thomar jumped off the roof and came over to him, smiling with what Robert could only call pride. “Good shot.” His master said when he reached him and then leaned forward and kissed him, hot and sizzling and with all the passion Robert felt ignite in himself as well.

\---

 

The central cavern of the Youh’Kai village was filled with the warm light from the huge fire that now was burning in the pit at the centre. There was music and laughter and the sound of many cheerful voices talking at once. The air was ripe with the smell of exotic food. Robert wouldn’t have thought that the taciturn aliens could put together such a merry party. 

The Youh’Kai were celebrating their safe return and that of their priestess M’leah.

After the fight in the yard, Thomar and Robert had searched the monastery. The whole place looked mostly deserted apart from a few rooms near the refectory which still seemed to be lived in. In the wine cellar they discovered the reason: the bodies of the former inhabitants, all of them murdered. Poisoned, Thomar declared, judging by the black tint of their lips.

In a small cell in the main building, they finally found M’leah, locked up and bound. She evidently had been tortured by the priests who had taken over the monastery, but she didn’t seem fazed by it at all. Actually, she seemed rather amused by the whole episode to Robert. Maybe not too surprising, considering she served the goddess of pain.

Thomar, on the other hand was furious until she managed to calm him down. She also told them what the kidnapping had been all about.

Apparently, the priest were rogues who had been kicked out of the order for their radical views and hoped to return the Verata back to the way they had been before the great purge. They had tried to force M’leah to reveal “her secrets of power” to them. M’leah had no clue what they wanted and even well informed Thomar couldn’t add any insight. Robert was sure though that he would investigate the matter. 

He planned to inform the archbishop of what had happened at the monastery and Robert guessed that he would use that opportunity to find out more.

Thomar patched up M’leah while Robert bravely ventured out again to find T’lark. In the yard, they found two more hoverbikes. With Thomar and T’lark flying them and Robert and M’leah riding behind, they made the return trip to the village much faster and Robert very much hoped they would use them again to get back to the glider when they went home. He really was done with mountain trekking.

Being welcomed back like some sort of returning heroes who had slain the dragon and saved the princess was really odd. For one, Robert didn’t feel like he had done much at all apart from shaking with fear and M’leah really didn’t fit the bill of damsel in distress at all. She wasn’t pretty or soft or gentle like the ladies in Robert’s romance novels. She was a tall, thin alien with a bony face and eyes that were much too deep and knowing for her age, who made obscene jokes about her own torture.

After the initial rush of Youh’Kai thanking him for M’leah’s rescue, Robert had managed to withdraw from the central bonfire to a spot near the wall of the cavern where heaps of pillows and blankets formed cosy nests where people settled to talk or eat. 

Thomar, of course, remained at the centre of attention. The Youh’Kai still considered him one of their own and were interested in everything that had happened to him since he left the village. They treated him like a young warrior returned from a grand adventure, not like their Duke, and Thomar clearly enjoyed it. Tired as Robert was, he didn’t mind that his master seemed to have all but forgotten about him. He loved seeing Thomar so happy and relaxed.

He had been surprised by the fact that the Youh’Kai respected his need for a little privacy. Occasionally one of them would approach, politely offer thanks or a special edible treat and then leave him alone again. 

After the exertions and excitement of the day he could barely keep his eyes open so he was startled when he was gently nudged by a foot.

“Are you asleep?”

He looked up and found M’leah smiling down at him. He blinked up at her a little owlishly. 

“Mostly.” He replied, skipping all the proper subservience and politeness. He had tried that earlier and she hadn’t appreciated it at all.

She hunkered down next to him, thoughtfully chewing on her lower lip. “I just wanted to thank you.” She said.

Robert opened his mouth to tell her something appropriate, how he hadn’t really done much and how Thomar had done all the heroic things, but she rolled her eyes at him.

“Not for rescuing me, silly. I know you didn’t do that for me but for T’mar. After all you don’t even know me.”

Her assessment was spot on so Robert closed his mouth again.

“I want to thank you for everything you are doing for T’mar. He is my friend and I was deeply worried about him when they took him away to live among humans all on his own. I know, he has his Youh’Kai bodyguards to guard his back, but… you care for him. And what is more important, you give him something to care about. I can’t explain it well, but I think you are very good for him.” She shrugged, clearly dissatisfied with her little speech. “So anyway, thank you.”

Robert really had no clue what to answer, so he said the obvious, safe thing. “You’re welcome.”

That apparently wasn’t the right thing to say as M’leah frowned at him. Only when she realized he wasn’t mocking her in some way did her expression soften again.

“You really are a strange human.” She noted. “I could almost like you.”

Before Robert could reply anything to that dubious compliment, she already got up and walked away again without another word. And she was calling him strange. 

He sighed and tiredly rubbed his face. With the party in full swing and everybody happily occupied, there really there seemed to be no need to try and stay awake. Comfortably resting against soft, furry pillows with a warm blanket draped over him, he allowed his eyes to drift shut.

It felt like only a few moments had passed when he was woken up by the feeling of another warm body insistently prodding him until it was able to snuggle up against him. When he opened his eyes though, the light in the cavern had dimmed considerably, the bonfire burned down to glimmering embers. It was Thomar of course, who had snuck under his blanket and was now cuddled up to him, his head resting on Robert’s chest and one leg entwined with his.

He smelled of smoke and strange food, but underneath that was the familiar scent Robert had come to associate with the feeling of safety.

Carefully, he rearranged the blanket around him so they were both covered by it.

“Sorry.” Thomar murmured half asleep already. “Didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’m hardly awake.” Robert reassured him.

“Mmh.” Thomar burrowed a little closer and then he sighed happily.

It was so good Robert had trouble believing it was real and he wasn’t dreaming. That his master came to sleep in his arms, all warm and happy and relaxed. That Thomar cared for him.

Cared for him more than he had thought, actually, Robert reminded himself. After all he hadn’t introduced him as his pet but as his nar’sini. Had he really meant that or had it just been a convenient explanation? Maybe now would be a good time to bring that question up but Robert wasn’t really sure he wanted to know.

The illusion that his master really saw that much more than a mere pet in him was enticing, but daunting as well. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to be more. Not knowing meant no obligations.

Luckily, Thomar’s breathing was already evening out as he quickly fell asleep.

So questions and answers would have to wait for another day when Robert had had more time to consider what it was that he wanted to hear and how to deal with maybe not hearing that. After all, there was no need to hurry.


	11. Banishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke Thomar celebrates his second coronation anniversary. As a special gift, he receives a beautiful succubus pet. Enamoured with his new toy, he decides to retire Robert.

Robert stood in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom and studied himself. Dressing up for the grand banquet in celebration of Thomar’s second coronation anniversary had proven infuriatingly difficult.

With a wistful sigh, Robert thought back to last year’s banquet when he had still been rather new in the Duke’s service and when he had been nothing but some aging pet, happy to have found an owner who seemed interested enough to keep him for a while.

It was almost inconceivable how much had changed in just one year. He was secure in the knowledge that he was loved and cherished. He had a master he loved and trusted to an extent that could only be called stupid. The ducal court regarded him as a dangerous player, since his position was so thoroughly removed from any chain of command. Not that he ever really did anything, but they believed he had influence on the Duke and that was enough to make them wary and polite.

At last year’s banquet, no one had paid attention to him and that had included his master who was busy keeping on top of all the political innuendo flying around the table. Even Robert didn’t remember what he had been wearing that evening.

This year would be very different. He would still be seated on a comfortable pillow next to his master’s chair. But people would constantly have an eye on him and take note every word exchanged between him and the Duke. Some might even find in necessary to include him in conversations which would force them to come down to him. Something Thomar found endlessly amusing, Robert guessed. That was probably precisely the reason he was still on the floor.

So what did one wear for such an occasion? A younger pet would have been perfectly dressed with something skimpy and distracting. But such attire had started looking ridiculous on Robert years ago. So it had to be something respectable, but not so rich it would outshine the noble guests. A fine edge to walk upon.

Robert wasn’t quite happy with the results of his raid on his wardrobe. Wearing a classic dinner jacket with the matching pants in muted green and a white shirt seemed boring to him. But it was the best he could do with the limited material he had to pick from. The next time someone tried to bribe him he would drop some discreet hints that he would appreciate an extended date with a talented tailor, Robert thought.

The real problem was that he genuinely looked forward to the banquet. He had always enjoyed social events. Now that he wasn’t just some pretty accessory to be ignored, used or even given away on such occasions, they were even better. Sadly, Thomar had not much interest in them, so they were a rare treat. Maybe, hopefully that would change when he got older.

Which reminded Robert that his master still hadn’t appeared to refresh himself and change into his own evening dress after a marathon of audiences with well-wishers, bearing all sorts of gifts.

Checking the clock, Robert realized that Thomar was only a few minutes late. His search for proper clothes had apparently unnerved him so much it had seemed to take much more time than it actually had.

He was just about to take another look inside his wardrobe to maybe find something better when he heard the door to the ducal quarters bang opened, followed by the sound of Thomar laughing, slightly breathless and then a higher pitch giggle with a beautiful musical ring to it.

The laughter was unusual, but the giggle was definitely entirely out of place. With a curious frown Robert entered the main room. The scene presented to him was certainly unexpected.

Thomar was pressing a mostly naked girl against the wall, kissing her throat passionately. No, not a girl, Robert corrected himself. She was much too beautiful and to perfectly formed to be a mere girl and the slim tail with a triangle tip snaking around Thomar’s legs and the tiny, leathery wings being crushed against the wall were sure sign of a succubus. And damn, she was beautiful. Lustrous red hair fell down to her hips in thick curls; she was all curves and pale naked flesh with a weave of gold filigree hiding strategic parts.

That Thomar looked quite dishevelled and entirely absorbed in her didn’t help at all to quell the sudden pang of intense jealousy Robert felt. He didn’t mind when his master sampled other delights. After all, the Duke was a young man with an appetite Robert couldn’t match and he certainly deserved to experiment. But Thomar had never brought anyone home and they really had other things to do tonight. Like an important banquet.

Robert cleared his throat noisily, trying to gain his master’s attention but got no reaction from Thomar. The succubus however noticed him, winked at him seductively and then possessively wrapped her arms around Thomar’s neck and her tail tighter around his legs. 

It was a clear challenge. Robert felt the urge to slap the little bitch.

Instead he spoke up. “Thomar?”

Hearing his name finally got the young Duke to stop sucking on the demon girl’s throat. She only reluctantly let go of him when he turned to Robert and her tail kept caressing his legs. There was a huge, happy grin on Thomar’s face which Robert found quite distasteful.

“Isn’t she absolutely awesome?!” Thomar exclaimed.

She was beautiful. There was no arguing that. But awesome was not a term Robert would have associated with the slutty demon. He critically eyed her to give his professional opinion but his master clearly wasn’t interested in that.

“She’s a gift. My very own succubus!” 

Thomar was much too delighted by the idea for Robert’s liking. It almost sounded like he planned to keep her. That sudden threat to his position made Robert pause. The idea that Thomar might get a younger, prettier pet hadn’t crossed his mind in forever. Thomar was happy with him. What would he need another pet for? With sudden clarity Robert realized that he very violently didn’t want Thomar to have another pet beside him. Surely Thomar would understand that. Maybe right now wasn’t the time to explain that, though, with the excitement of a fresh gift.

“She looks… exotic.” He tried to say something polite.

“Oh, she is!” Thomar laughed again, looking slightly flushed by whatever image that word conjured in his mind. “And she tastes awesome too!”

The succubus giggled at the praise and actually blushed. She really was good at this game, but then she was a succubus and maybe had centuries of experience.

“Such a sweet thing.” Thomar ran his hand up her thigh possessively, already distracted again.

“Yes, well,” Robert quickly interjected, “I’m sure she won’t mind waiting for you. You really should get ready for the banquet.”

“Oh, right.” Thomar nodded and for a brief moment Robert felt relief only for it to be squashed with a ten ton hammer. “Actually I have decided to take her to the banquet.” 

“What?!” This time his angry exclamation was out before Robert could stop it and he didn’t really feel like stopping it anyway. “Why the hell would you take her?” He put as much disgusted emphasis on the last word as he could.

That got Thomar’s attention. “Because she will look gorgeous, cuddled up against my leg. What the hell is your problem?”

For a moment Robert was speechless with anger and just sputtered helplessly. He wasn’t good at arguing. Actually this was probably the first time he ever argued with a master. But that wouldn’t stop him. Even if he wasn’t sure how to voice his anger.

“You know perfectly well how much I was looking forward to the banquet!”

Now Thomar actually frowned at him. “So? It’s not like it’s the last banquet ever. Why are you making such a big deal of it?”

“It’s important to me. Just that you don’t enjoy such occasions doesn’t mean no one else does!” Robert’s voice was slowly rising in volume.

“Well. I would certainly enjoy it more with her!” Thomar growled back. “Shouldn’t my happiness be your primary concern?!”

“Your happiness IS my primary concern and I don’t think SHE will make you happy!” Robert snapped.

He saw the fury rise in Thomar’s eyes but he was too slow to dodge when Thomar crossed the short distance between them and then slapped him hard. “How dare you presume to decide what is good for me?!” The young Duke hissed, while Robert stared at him in shock. “You forget your place, slave!”

His words hit much harder than the slap. Some part of Robert was stubbornly refusing to accept he had really heard them, while the rest of him was paralysed with the pain they caused. But there was always training to fall back on. After all he had years and years of that.

He sank to his knees and lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry I displeased you, master.” Was that flat voice really his? He didn’t sound like he meant it and in truth he didn’t. He felt numb.

“Don’t play me for a fool!” His master of course noticed as well. “Are you that jealous of the poor girl? Damn; I can’t believe how selfish you are!” Thomar paced and then stopped before him again. “I think it’s best if you cool your heels for a while and remember your proper place.” He said coolly. “I want you to pack some things. T’lark will pick you up and take you to a country estate.”

Robert blinked rapidly, trying to understand how things had suddenly gone so wrong, but he just couldn’t. Thomar was sending him away. That was all that finally penetrated the haze of anger and confusion.

Beg. He needed to beg. Now. Quickly. Before it was too late.

But when he looked up he realized it was too late already. Thomar and the succubus girl were gone.

\---

 

The country estate was a beautiful place. It was located far away from the capital in much warmer climate on the shore of a large lake. Build with white stone it had an open, airy flair, huge windows and many terraces overlooking the gardens and the lake itself. Somehow it had been overlooked by the demons during the invasion its muted luxury, refined over generations by its owners.

The servants who kept everything in order when no noble guests were present had been delighted to welcome them, happy to have someone to dote on after being pretty much forgotten for a long time.

Robert had been installed in a guest suite larger than the ducal quarters and much more lavishly furnished.

Not that Robert paid any attention to details or his surroundings in general. At first he had been in mute shock, unable to comprehend what had happened. 

Then T’lark had decided to get him drunk to ‘get him out of it’. That had resulted in a temper tantrum that Robert would have considered himself incapable of, sober or drunk. He had even thrown things. Breakable things.

After that he had sunk into depression, spending his days sitting on the window sill of the sitting room, gloomily staring out at the lake or, if the view grew too cheerful for him to bear, sitting on the ground under the window with his back to the wall.

That was where he currently resided with his knees drawn up, his head buried under his arms.

It had been more than a week. There had been no word from the capital, from the Duke, from Thomar in that time. 

Like the estate itself Robert seemed to be forgotten

No matter how often Robert rolled it around in his head, how often he replayed that scene in his mind, he couldn’t understand how things could have gone so wrong so quickly.

He had been so sure of Thomar’s love. A stupid beginner pet’s mistake of course. He had been sold often enough to learn that fondness of a priced possession was not to be confused with love. Even if your master said he loved you he didn’t mean it that way. But Thomar had meant it that way. He had. Even though all evidence now said differently he had meant it.

On the other hand the young Duke was a brilliant liar. Maybe it had all just been an elaborate game to him?

He was young. Maybe he had grown bored of his aging, unexciting pet?

Whatever the reason, the result was Robert’s worst nightmare. Discarded once more. If he was very, very lucky he would remain forgotten, banished to this remote place for what remained of his life. Much more likely was, that he would be sold again.

Robert had tried to wrap his mind around that idea, to steel himself against the inevitable, but every time he even tried to thing about it he shied away from it. It was unthinkable. He couldn’t go back to how he had been, that mindless, soulless, personality-free pet. He needed Thomar. No matter what Thomar may or may not have felt for him, Robert loved his master.

He would rather die than go on living without him.

A soft, wet nose gently prodded his bare arm, accompanied with a deeply worried whine. It brought the fact that Alain was lying on the floor next to him back to Robert’s attention. With a choked sob Robert picked up the puppy and cuddled him close. Not an easy feat anymore since the young hellhound had grown quite a lot and now barely fit in his arms.

This was really the perfect place for Alain to run around in the garden und play in the shallow waters at the edge of the lake but he refused to leave his master’s side, much like Robert would have liked to cling to his master’s side.

Robert buried his face in Alain’s soft fear. How many more times would he be able to do this? If he was sold again he would lose Alain too. No sane trader would allow a slave to have a hellhound. It was clear what would happen to his poor darling then – he would be put down. He would never accept another master.

His cruel mind painted a vivid image for him: Alain lying on his side in a pool of blood, his beautiful eyes staring sightless at Robert, betrayed.

The hot sting of tears in his eyes was an alien feeling. He had not cried in a very long time. Had believed himself long past such weakness. He had learned to take everything life threw at him and stoically shrug it off. He should never have allowed himself to love. He had warned his share of younger pets about it. How had he fallen into that trap himself?

Tears wet Alain’s fur who squirmed a little in Robert’s arms but then settled again, sensing how much his master needed his comfort. Robert cried silently, his grief too deep to still keep inside.

How many times had he been abandoned, discarded, given away like some worthless trinket? He couldn’t remember. Too often to count. He had never cried about it. But this was different because he had dared to believe. The ugly truth was that there was no one who cared for him, no one who loved him apart from the wonderful, furry creature in his arms who would soon be dead.

“Robert?” 

The voice barely managed to penetrate the gloom and Robert didn’t bother looking up.

“Gods! Robert!”

Suddenly strong arms wrapped around him and Alain and he felt himself gathered against another warm body tightly, protectively and this time he recognized the voice as T’lark’s. 

“Shush.” The Youh’Kai gently told him. “I’m here.”

What an entirely stupid thing to say. What an entirely perfect thing to say. Of course it would not help in the end but to know that someone did care was all Robert needed to manage to regain control of himself again. It only took him a few minutes.

Then he disentangled himself and poor crushed Alain from T’lark’s embrace and wiped his wet face with the hem of his shirt, feeling quite embarrassed. He didn’t want to burden his friend with his problems.

“Care to tell me what that was all about?” the alien promptly asked, settling on the floor next to Robert more comfortably. “I could feel your anguish from across the gardens.”

Of course he would have noticed. Robert was so used to T’lark he sometimes forgot that the Youh’Kai was a weak telepath and empathy. Since his talent worked better on people he knew he would have easily picked up on Robert’s turmoil. And being more curious than any cat he wouldn’t let the matter rest.

“I assume it’s about Thomar sending you away?” T’lark deduced the obvious.

Robert nodded. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy the Youh’Kai.

“Don’t worry about it so much.” T’lark tried to reassure him. “I’m sure he’ll be bored with that succubus soon enough and then he’ll miss you and call you back.”

He really wanted to keep his mouth shut but the words had a will of their own and just spilled out. “But what if he doesn’t? What if he sells me?”

T’lark frowned at him and Robert realized that thought had never crossed the Youh’Kai mind. “Nonsense. He’d never sell you. He loves you.” The simple conviction in his voice strangely was quite reassuring. Robert would never have expected the next thing T’lark said. “And even if he was stupid enough to sell you. So what? I’d buy you.”

“You… what?!” Robert blurted out, staring at T’lark open mouthed.

The alien looked back at him with a raised eyebrow like he Robert was some idiot. “Well, of course.” He said as if that simple statement would explain it.

“But… why…?” Robert had been sure that T’lark merely was his friend. He had never detected any interest going further than that. Could he have misjudged that as well? “I… didn’t know you… wanted a pet…?” he tried to phrase his question carefully.

Now it was T’lark’s turn to look startled. “What?” But than he apparently picked up on Robert’s thoughts and feelings again as he laughed. “No, silly. I definitely don’t want to fuck you.” He said and laid a gentle hand on Robert’s shoulder. “You are my friend. I would never allow for you to be sold off to gods know where to some bastard who doesn’t appreciate you. I have no use for a pet but I’d need someone to look after that hellhound I’d have running around suddenly.”

Robert needed a moment to process that in all its complex wonder. To T’lark it was obvious and simple but to Robert is was a revelation with a million implications. It meant he wouldn’t lose Alain. It meant T’lark cared for him in an entirely different way. He didn’t expect anything from Robert. No obedience, not that he looked pretty or performed somehow. It meant he would never be discarded for losing his usefulness because usefulness simply didn’t enter the equation. T’lark simply helped a friend because that was the right thing to do in his eyes.

For the second time that day Robert felt the prick of tears in his eyes but this time he managed to keep his composure. Only his voice sounded a little thick with emotion. “Thank you.”

Alain of course picked up on the change in his master’s mood and correctly identified the source. With a happy ‘woof’ he tackled T’lark and proceeded to lick his face.

Watching T’lark playfully battle against the attack Robert realized how stupid his earlier thought had been. He couldn’t simply chose death over living without Thomar. Alain needed him. He would have to find a way to go on and he wouldn’t be alone. He had something he had never had before when his previous masters had discarded him. A friend. A free friend who had options and was willing to share them. It felt like the weight of a mountain had been lifted from his heart.

“Feeling better now?” T’lark asked after he had wrestled Alain down..

Robert managed a weak smile. “I think so.”

“I really don’t see what you are getting so worked up about.” T’lark shook his head. “You really should trust Thomar more. He does love you.”

“Then why did he send me away like that?” Robert voiced the question that just kept rattling through his head without a satisfying answer.

T’lark rubbed his nose, wiping of some hellhound drool. “I guess he wanted some alone time with that new pet?” he ventured. “I didn’t see her but I guess she must be pretty cute? I mean, if he really hated you suddenly why did he send me with you to look after you? That makes no sense.”

“None of it makes sense!” Robert growled angrily. “He didn’t even seem really angry when he said he’d send me away.”

And it was true. Thomar had been so cold and careless. That really wasn’t like him at all.

Robert blinked as suddenly something clicked in his mind.

“T’lark, do you think it’s possible that succubus somehow controlled him?” he asked.

“What? No.” T’lark shook his head. “Thomar is well protected against demon influence. After all he has to deal with them every day.” Still a little frown appeared on his brow.

“But you have to admit he did behave rather strangely.” Robert insisted.

“Well… yes…” T’lark admitted, obvious displeased with the thought but unable to outright discard it.

“So what if they did find a way? It would be very useful to have control of the Duke of Aylian.” The more Robert thought about it the more details fit together. “Of course they would have to get rid of me. I would notice any change in him. And it would also explain why he sent you away as well. Cause you might be able to detect that someone was influencing him.”

T’lark laughed shakily. “You read too many of those intrigue-filled romance novels.” He tried but he looked worried now. “And he has exceptional mental shields. I doubt I would be able to tell anything anyway.

“Easy enough to find out.” Robert smiled at his alien friend innocently. “I have been banished from court but you haven’t. Why don’t you pay a visit and discreetly check on our Duke?” he suggested. “If his shields are intact and he seems normal to you we will know for sure.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine.” T’lark agreed but he didn’t sound convinced at all.

\---

 

It was another beautiful day. The afternoon sun was drenching the terrace where Robert was pacing in a soft golden light. Alain, who as usual picked up on his mood, was following in his footsteps with an adorable frown of his own. He of course had no clue what his master was worrying about, so he instead worried about his master.

At least, Robert guessed that was the case. He should really have spent his time playing with Alain instead of futilely pacing but he couldn’t help it. He was irrationally worried that something might happen to T’lark.

The Youh’Kai had left the estate in the morning, heading back to the capital. His official reason was that he would pick up some additional stuff he had left behind since his stay out here looked like it would be an extended one. He would also use his psychic talents to discreetly check on Thomar to try and find out if he really had been manipulated by the succubus.

Robert wasn’t even entirely sure what news he wanted his friend to return with. 

If Thomar was not under any influence, it would mean that he truly had discarded his pet without a second thought and apparently forgotten about Robert.

However, if demons somehow did control the young Duke, it would mean that Robert would have to do something about it. Not just because the man he loved wwas enthralled by his enemies, but also because he stupidly felt it was his duty to the Empire. And he had no clue what to do in such a case. How did one go about saving his master? That was not something taught to pets. He very much hoped T’lark would have a brilliant plan. After all he was much more experienced when it came to mad adventures.

With a shake of his head and an exasperated laugh, Robert wondered how he had ended up in this position. He was an aging pet who deserved a quiet live with an equally aging owner. 

Alain commented his laugh with a happy ‘woof’ and used the opportunity to overtake him and happily bounce in front of him.

At least he had an eager hellhound to throw at any enemies, Robert mused. He just had to make sure there was zero chance of Alain getting hurt in the process. 

T’lark had promised he would be back by lunch time. He was two hours late already.

“Whatever are we going to do if he doesn’t come back?” Robert asked Alain.

For a long moment, Alain stared back at him with a deep frown, trying to decipher what his master wanted from him. Then he gave up and made the sweetest sad face accompanied with a confused whine.

“Never mind.” Robert reassured him, crouching down and hugging the huge whelp who pounced into his arms. “We’ll figure out something.”

He wasn’t quite sure what had changed, but he was no longer willing to just lie down and die. He had been so very happy and he was going to fight to get that back, no matter how ridiculous that notion might be for a mere pet.

“WROOF!” Alain exclaimed.

Robert though his hellhound was agreeing with him but then Alain wriggled out of his embrace and ran off across the terrace to the glider landing pad. Moments later Robert heard it too, the sound of a hoverglider nearing and the whine as the engines prepared for landing.

He followed Alain at an entirely undignified jog. 

When he got to the landing pad Alain, was already running excited circles around T’lark, but for once the Youh’Kai did not greet the hellhound as cheerfully. Instead, his expression was dark, and when he spotted Robert he headed straight for him.

“We need to talk.” He said as soon as they met and headed away from the mansion into the gardens where they wouldn’t be overheard.

Robert followed him with his heart suddenly beating in his throat. So he had been right, something was wrong. He tried to be brave and tell himself that he would fight for his happiness and love once more but the ugly truth was that his hands were trembling. Whatever would he be able to do about anything? He was a pet. He wasn’t especially smart, he didn’t have connections and he certainly wasn’t a fighter.

He was so lost in trying to keep down his despair he nearly ran into T’lark when the Youh’Kai stopped, his expression still grim as he turned to Robert.

“You were right.” He said.

“What happened?” Robert blurted out, even though T’lark would have told him anyway.

He watched anxiously as the alien tiredly rubbed his face. “I don’t know how they did this, and I don’t even have a clue who ‘they’ are, but that is not Thomar. That is some really good doppelganger.” T’lark explained.

Robert stared at him honestly surprised. That wasn’t what he had expected. He had thought that the succubus would somehow be controlling his master. That the man who had so cruelly sent him away wasn’t Thomar at all of course made even more sense. When had that switch happened? When Thomar received that succubus pet? Or some time before that during the various audiences of the day? Or even earlier, maybe the day before? 

Robert shuddered as he thought about the sex of that night. Had that been the doppelganger fucking him, kissing him? The thought made his skin crawl, which really was quite ridiculous considering by how many men he had been fucked in his career. It didn’t make the sensation go away though.

“You were right about the succubus pet, too. Only she has managed to get into F’leer’s head. It’s a good thing I didn’t tell anyone I was there but just sneaked around the palace for a while to get close enough to feel out F’leer and Thomar.” T’lark sounded quite angry. “That bitch! She has F’leer wrapped around her little finger. He’s a complete mess!”

Of course he would be angry that his best friend had fallen victim to the demon’s seduction. Which made perfect sense, really. With the Duke exchanged for a doppelganger and the Captain of his personal guard under demon control there wasn’t anyone left who would dare to question sudden changes in Thomar’s behaviour. The nobles of the court were much to weary of their Duke’s temper to stick their necks out.

“How do you know it’s not Thomar?” Robert asked. Maybe they would have enough prove to convince someone to do something.

“Because I was able to read his mind.” T’lark kicked an innocent stone bench. “I have never been able to get into his head. His shields are brilliant. And now I could easily skim his surface thoughts and he didn’t even notice. They are good, Robert. They are really good. There was nothing to see. Perfectly normal Dracon Duke.”

“But… if… how…” Robert shut his mouth, he was stammering nonsense. 

With sudden panic, he realized that someone had kidnapped Thomar; that his master, the one person he had ever loved was missing and might well be dead. With his knees going weak and his head spinning, he quickly sat on the bench. 

T’lark paced in front of him. “We need to do something, but I really have no idea what. I mean, we can’t let them get away with this! There must be someone we can tell! Or something!” He stopped in front of Robert to glare at him. “Where the FUCK is a Phoenix Knight when you need one?!”

Then he noticed Robert’s state and crouched in front of his, his face changing to worried. “Robert? Are you alright? You’re white as sheet.”

“What if he’s dead?” Robert whispered. Saying it out loud made it even more terrible. 

The fact that T’lark’s mouth worked soundlessly while he was trying to come up with something reassuring to say didn’t help either. 

“I’m sure he’s okay.” He finally said lamely.

That actually made Robert snort angrily. “He is most certainly NOT okay. He has been kidnapped and if he’s not dead, he is being held somewhere!” he snapped and suddenly it became quite obvious what they needed to do. “We have to find him!”

“Right. Of course.” Now it was T’lark’s turn to snap at Robert. “And how are we going to do that?!”

For a moment, they stared at each other, on edge and angry about how helpless they felt. But then they both had the same idea almost simultaneously and looked down at Alain, who was curiously sniffing some flowers next to the bench.

“Do you think we could…?” T’lark asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Robert clicked his tongue at Alain who immediately abandoned the flowers to come over to him. He put his front paws on the bench and excitedly wagged his tail. 

Robert had read plenty about the hellhound’s amazing ability to pick up the trail of people anywhere. Supposedly they were able to sense their souls, or in a demon’s case some sort of unique signature. The texts he had studied all said that a hellhound’s master just needed to tell the beast who it was to find and then the hellhound would lead the master to the quarry. It also said to put the hound on a leash before setting it on the trail or it would dash off. Hellhounds were especially prized because they could follow a psychic scent through multiple realms, but Robert had no idea if that would also work if Thomar was off-planet. And even if he could, how was Alain to tell them where to go? And how would they get there?

Maybe there was no point to worrying about all of this when he didn’t even know if Alain would understand him.

He took the leash he always carried with him from his pocket, unrolled it and fastened it to Alain’s collar. The tail wagging intensified and Alain’s eyes shone with a hint of fire, intent and alert. Almost like he was sensing that he would be given an important task.

Taking a firm grip on the leash with one hand, Robert put the other under Alain’s snout and scratched the spot he knew Alain loved. “I need you to do something for me,” he told his eager puppy. “Find Thomar!”

Alain cocked his head to the side, looking at Robert, clearly processing that order. But then his eyes ignited with understanding and real fire. He didn’t completely burst into flames but his eyes burned as he raised his head, sniffing the air, carefully turning his nose here and there. Then he seemed to catch a scent as he drew in a deep lunge full.

Robert expected him to dash off now and held on tight to the leash but instead Alain turned back to him with a funnily serious sounding “wroof” and then got off the bench and insistently pulled in one direction. He really was exceptionally well behaved, Robert realized. 

And he obviously had found a trace of the Duke of Aylian. Which meant Thomar was likely not dead, as everything Robert had read about hellhounds said that they were only able to find living creatures. Robert briefly closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Right.” T’lark said, sounded thoroughly impressed. “Now how do we get him to lead us to Thomar? I mean, we can’t run after him across the planet.”

The Youh’Kai was right and Robert had no clue. Alain kept pulling on the leash and then looked back at Robert with clear reproach. He was eager to do what his master had asked him to.

“How about we take the glider?” T’lark suggested. “We have a general direction now. So we fly that way and regularly let him out and re-check where we need to go.”

“Sounds good.” It would work as long as Thomar was still on the planet. But Alain wasn’t barking up at the sky so Robert hoped he was. He had no clue why the demons would still need Thomar and close by, too, but he wasn’t going to question this good fortune.

The landing pad wasn’t the way Alain had been pulling and at first he resisted but to their amazement he seemed to understand what they were intending to do when he saw the glider. He barked excitedly and jumped right in. 

T’lark started up the engine and when they were in the air Alain surprised them again. He took a moment, turning in a circle and then settled, his nose firmly pointing the way he had been pulling before. 

“That puppy of yours is a marvel.” T’lark stated.

Robert nodded and raked his fingers through the thick fur in Alain’s neck. They would find Thomar and they would rescue him somehow and everything would miraculously return back to the way it had been, he told himself. 

He didn’t believe it. But maybe if he repeated it often enough it would come true anyway.

\---

 

“So what are we going to do now?” Robert whispered. He wasn’t even sure why he was keeping his voice low since there really was no chance of them being overheard, but it just seemed appropriate.

They were at the top of a small hill, hidden behind some boulders, gazing down at the burned out ruins of some mansion. The sun had set an hour earlier and now only the moon and the eerie purple-greenish glow from the demon portal in orbit illuminated the derelict building. 

It must have been a magnificent property once, but apparently it had been razed to the ground during the demon invasion and was now abandoned. There were countless places like this all over Aylian and it would take decades until all of them would be resettled and rebuild. Some of them might just remain abandoned.

Alain had led them to this particular place. It was located only two hours away by glider, south of the capital. Now Alain was insistently growling at the ruins, pulling on his leash. Which hopefully meant that Thomar was somewhere in there.

T’lark was frowning. “We should try and get some help. Since we have no idea who or what might wait for us in there.”

That sounded quite sensible to Robert. After all he was no good in a fight.

“On the other hand, I have no idea who we can trust. We don’t know who might be involved in this plot.” T’lark added.

“What about the Youh’Kai from Thomar’s village?” Robert suggested. “Surely they would help.”

T’lark frown only deepened. “They probably would but that isn’t my main concern.” He said softly. “They have had Thomar for at least a week and only the gods know what they have been doing to him. I would hate to leave now and come back in a couple of hours only to find that he has been killed in the meantime.”

That thought made Robert’s heart miss several beats. His master couldn’t die. Not now, when he was so close to getting him back.

“I say we at least get a closer look.” T’lark continued. “If there are too many guards we can still pull back and try to get help.”

Alain bared his teeth in a feral snarl as if he had understood. Robert looked down at his trembling hands holding the leash. Now he knew what the expression ‘shaking in his boots’ meant that the authors of his romance novels were so fond of. He drew a deep breath. But he wouldn’t let his fear stop him. He would rescue his master in complete defiance to what was expected of a meek pet.

“Okay.” He agreed.

T’lark grinned at him. “You know, one of these days I’ll have to take a look into your pants 'cause I swear you are starting to grow balls, pet.”

Robert stared at him in mute outrage. And then laughed shakily as he realized how true his friend’s words were. 

The thought crossed his mind that there was a good chance he would die, here, today, on this mad attempt to free the Duke of Aylian from the demons who had abducted him. It sounded like the synopsis of a Phoenix Knight movie. But as T’lark had stated earlier, there was no Phoenix Knight available, so plain old Robert would have to do. He tried to form some heroic phrase in his mind like ‘at least I will die fighting’ but it sounded too ridiculous. He just wanted his master back. Wanted the knowledge that Thomar stood between him and any danger.

“Ready?” T’lark asked.

“No.” Robert mirrored the answer he had given to Thomar only a few weeks ago when they stood outside that Verata monastery. “But let’s go anyway.”

Carefully they made their way down the hill towards the dark ruin, with Robert holding on tightly to Alain’s leash. 

The hellhound was still insistently pulling, trying to lead his master to the prey he had been set on. He did, however, not dash off madly like all the instruction texts about hellhounds had claimed. Robert attributed that to how differently Alain had been raised. Even in these dire circumstances he couldn’t help feeling proud of himself and his fiery darling.

The crumbling building before them looked deserted, but Robert didn’t doubt that Alain had led them to the right spot. After all, it was a perfect hiding place. No one would search here. Which in turn gave him hope that maybe it wouldn’t be too well guarded.

He tried to follow T’lark’s example in crouching low and moving as stealthily as possible. The Youh’Kai, of course had the advantage of being able to see perfectly well in near darkness. But considering all his various shortcomings, Robert thought he wasn’t doing too badly.

They reached the outer wall which was only about waist high anymore and climbed over it. Robert waited while T’lark scanned the inside of the ruins with his sharper eyes.

“There.” The alien whispered, pointing towards a murky patch of darkness that looked exactly the same as everything else to Robert.

Only when they crept closer did he notice that it was the opening to stairs leading underground, roughly concealed by scorched boards. T’lark lifted some boards to the side and peered down. Alain stood next to him, looking just as alert, his eyes glowing with red fire. He had stopped pulling and instead assumed a battle ready crouch low to the ground. He looked quite fearsome suddenly. Robert unclipped the leash from his collar. Somehow he was sure that Alain would behave a lot more sensible in a fight than he would himself.

“There is light down there.” 

T’lark disappeared down the stairs, followed by Alain. Being left behind was even creepier, so Robert took a deep breath and started the descent as well. It felt like he was swallowed up by the earth but that was of course just his imagination. 

After only a few steps down he too could make out orange light deeper down. The stairs ended in a narrow corridor which must once have been the cellar of the mansion. Parts of the ceiling had crumbled, but the debris had been moved to the side. The glowing, orange crystals crusting over the walls in irregular patches however were definitely a new feature and looked as evil as Robert would have expected from a secret demon lair.

It was completely quiet. Like a grave, Robert thought with a shudder. It was entirely Thomar’s fault that he seemed to end up in this weird shit so often recently. Before the Duke of Aylian had purchased him, he had been a respectable pet, chained to a bed or kneeling at a master’s feet or getting fucked by party guests on the dinner table. Now he was crawling through a proper dungeon. 

Before he could really start wallowing in his misery, T’lark nudged him and then pointed at a door to their left. The door had partly come loose, and through the opening they could both see the room beyond. It had probably been some storage space. Now it was occupied by the largest demon Robert had ever seen. A huge, hulking monstrosity of hardened scales and horns and claws, coloured sickly green. It was lying on his back, apparently asleep.

Robert felt transfixed by the sight. He was sure the moment he moved or even breathed, it would wake up, rip him to shreds and devour him. It needed T’lark grabbing his arm and dragging him along to make him pass the doorway.

He desperately wanted to tell T’lark that now was the moment when they should pull back and come back later with help. Lots of help. But that would have required speaking and the monster might have heard him. And Alain was already ahead of them, slowly, carefully pushing open the door at the end of the corridor with his nose. Then he peered inside and started excitedly wagging his tail.

T’lark and Robert quickly closed the distance to him and then all three of them looked into the large, circular room behind the door. A few more steps led down to the floor which was inlaid with a faded mosaic. The ceiling rose to small dome which once must have been painted with extensive murals. Now most of the plaster had fallen off and there were only a few patches left, depicting flames and demons and robed figures. In the middle of the floor stood what could only be called an altar, made of one big slab of black stone.

The floor was covered with traces of the glowing, orange crystals which massed at the back of the room, rising into a huge column inside which a human figure was trapped.

“What is this place?” T’lark whispered, now sounding creeped out as well, but Robert was hardly listening to him.

He was already running across the room together with his hellhound towards the column. Close up to it, there could be no doubt that the person inside the crystal was the young Duke of Aylian, naked and frozen motionless. Alain sniffed the crystal and then looked up at Robert with a small whine and hopeful eyes. It was impossible to tell whether Thomar was alive or dead in there, and once more Robert felt panic close up his throat.

He wanted to scream and hit his master’s prison with his bare fists, but instead he pressed his hand to his mouth to keep all sounds inside.

“Damn it!” T’lark cursed softly next to him. “What have they done to him?”

“We have to get him out of that thing!” Robert blurted out too loudly and then fearfully looked back at the entrance, expecting to find the demon monster breathing down his neck.

T’lark circled around the crystal, looking at it from all angles. “I have no idea what this thing does.” He whispered, looking at Robert questioningly.

Robert shrugged, feeling terror rise inside him. How was he to know? He was a pet, for god’s sake. Not some hero. Not some mystic archmage in disguise. He knew about what to wear for which occasion, about blowjobs, about keeping still and keeping your mouth shut.

“I guess we could just try to break it.” T’lark mused, more to himself than Robert. He hesitantly reached out to touch the crystal but then thought better of it and just stared at it intently as if that would make it give up its secrets.

It was frightening to watch how he had no clue what to do. After all he was much more of a hero than Robert felt he was himself.

But then their time to think was cut short as an angry roar seemed to shake the whole room. They turned around and this time the monster was indeed awake and squeezing through the door into the room. Its eyes were gleaming with greenish fire and little intelligence and it looked very enraged at their intrusion. It easily spotted them and opened its huge maw for another roar and gave them a spectacular view of rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

Robert froze as he realized that he was going to die now, ripped apart by that beast.

Alain didn’t suffer from such shock. The young hellhound answered the monster’s roar with a deep growl of his own, his fur fluffing up for a split second, and then he burst into white hot flames. Without a moment of hesitation, he charged the much larger foe, launching himself into the air to swipe with burning paws at the beast’s visage. He managed to surprise it and left a trail of burned scratch marks, safely landing to the left of the demon who now howled in furious pain.

Right next to him T’lark drew the blaster he carried on his hip and fired at the demon monster in one smooth move. The shot harmlessly glanced off the thick scales of the beast.

Then Robert was ripped from his state of terror by a cursing T’lark who grabbed his arm, pressed the blaster into his hand and then violently shoved him towards the crystal.

“Get him out!” T’lark ordered harshly and then he turned and ran towards the monstrous demon as well, drawing his daggers.

With quiet horror Robert watched how Alain and T’lark circled the beast, trying to get in a cut or a nip now and then. They were only making it more and more furious and often only narrowly escaped its huge claws. He wasn’t able to move. He had no idea what to do. It was worse than any nightmare and he was completely helpless.

Then T’lark didn’t get out of the way quickly enough and the monster’s huge claw hit him, flinging him against the wall where he impacted with bone shattering force, crumbling to an unmoving pile.

Robert found himself rushing to his friend’s side and stopped himself. He turned back to the crystal. He had to get Thomar out. Thomar would know what to do. Thomar always knew what to do. Some voice in his head screeched that Thomar was probably dead and obviously didn’t know what to do since he was imprisoned in a block of crystal, but Robert chose not to listen to it. This was the only thing that might save them and he was going to believe in it.

Holding the blaster in both of his trembling hands he raised it and aimed at the top of the crystal where he would not hit the figure encased in it.

The shot rang out impossibly loud in the enclosed space.

Robert fully expected something terrible to happen, but instead the crystal started to crumble into tiny shards and dust and then quickly collapsed fully, the prisoner inside dropping to the ground. Not dead or even unconscious, but in a low crouch, hands and feet firmly on the floor, his head lowered. This time, Robert did rush forward, falling to his knees in front of his master.

“Thomar?!”

He recoiled when the young man in front of him raised his head. It was Thomar, and not Thomar. A thick stripe of swirling back Youh’Kai runes started at his brow, ran down his face over his nose, crossing his mouth, down his throat and chest. His eyes were a glowing dull red without white or irises and his face was drawn into a furious snarl.

Then the creature blinked in confusion.

“Robert?” Thomar whispered hoarsely. His expression changed into a fierce smile, showing teeth as sharp as any Youh’Kai’s. “You… came to find me…?”

He wasn’t sure how he knew but there was no doubt in Robert’s mind that this truly was his lover in all his weirdness. He nodded mutely.

Moments later he was grabbed by the back of his neck and drawn forward into a consuming kiss, sharp teeth nipping his lips and his master’s hot breath invading his mouth. It was intoxicating to a level that made Robert’s head spin.

The world seemed the shudder under him as he was released again and gazed into those bottomless red eyes.

“I love you.”

Thomar’s simple words seeped into his heart and washed away everything but the certainty that his master, his real master would never abandon him. Nothing mattered when Thomar loved him.

A yelp of pain behind him pulled his attention back to the fact that there was still a raging demon monster which would likely tear him apart. A look over his shoulder showed him that the beast had managed to rip into Alain with its claws. The hellhound was limping backward, crouching low to the ground.

Then he felt himself shoved to the side as Thomar rose. In each of his hands a dagger coalesced, not the usual ones he had hidden in his boots but longer, made of a dull white material and covered in crawling black Youh’Kai runes, much like those on his face and chest.

Robert watched in horrified fascination as Thomar moved towards the demon with measured steps and no fear whatsoever. He watched as his master moved with the silent speed and efficiently of a trained killer as he jumped on the altar in the monster’s back and then launched himself up at the towering demon. The beast roared in rage as Thomar clung to his back and neck and then in intense pain as those daggers were both buried deeply in its neck, cutting though scales that had withstood all of T’lark and Alain’s attacks. His roar turned into a desperate howl as Thomar cut deeper, a flood of greenish blood gushing from the demon’s wounds. For a moment it swayed. When it crashed to the ground, Thomar nimbly jumped off just in time not to be buried under it.

Thomar stood next to it unmoving for a moment. Then a visible shudder ran through him and when he turned back to Robert, the markings on his body had disappeared together with the strange weapons. His eyes were back to their normal soft brown. He smiled at Robert showing perfectly human, white teeth.

“What are you?” Robert whispered, for once sure that he really wanted an answer.

Thomar pushed his hair out of his eyes with a slightly embarrassed gesture that was so painfully familiar to Robert he felt tears prick his eyes. He loved Thomar so much it hurt. No matter what he might be.

“I promise, I will explain.” Thomar answered. “But not now. I have a fake duke to kill. Painfully.”

\---

 

“We’re going to need a new bed.”

With everything Robert had been through in the last few days and especially this evening he wasn’t surprised anymore that the bloody mess in the ducal bed didn’t faze him at all. On the contrary, he had tremendously enjoyed watching Thomar taking care of its illicit occupants.

After Thomar had killed the monstrous demon, their first order of business had been to check on T’lark and Alain. 

Robert had found Alain slowly limping towards him, obviously slightly mangled but determined to get back to his master. He had praised the young hellhound for his valour in battle and checked him for serious wounds. When he found none he sent Alain back into his amulet to sleep and heal.

T’lark was in worse shape. He was unconscious and after a quick examination Thomar had determined that his right arm was broken in two places, his shoulder was dislocated and he probably had a concussion, too. Thomar set the shoulder but the rest would have to wait for proper care.

With that taken care of they quickly searched the place for more demons and more importantly, some clothes for Thomar. They didn’t find any demons but in the store room where the monster had been asleep they found Thomar’s discarded clothes minus his weapons.

Robert still felt numb with shock the whole time but he did what he was told and the fact that Thomar occasionally stopped whatever he was doing to grab and fiercely kiss him gradually brought him back to reality. 

He didn't ask again what that thing was that Thomar had turned into but he did ask how his master had ended up in that crystal.

Thomar explained that a trading delegation of demons had given him the succubus as a gift. Her kiss to his hand however had been laced with a quickly acting toxin which had knocked him out cold. When he had woken up he had already been imprisoned in the crystal. A few hours later a demon with his exact looks had shown up who had apparently taken his place. The demons had started a ritual to steal his memories which hadn't worked too well. He had helplessly listened to the demons discussing how they might break his mental shields while the imposter returned to the palace. In the following week they had tried again and again without much success.

Robert found the thought that his master had been conscious the entire time horrifying and said as much. Thomar just hugged him tightly but didn't comment.

They had only been separated for a week, but to Robert it felt like much longer. Much too long. He couldn't stop looking at Thomar constantly just to reassure himself that he was there in all his infuriating self-confidence and mysteriousness. 

But he had promised answers and he always kept his promises.

Together they managed to haul the still unconscious T'lark back to the glider and then Thomar piloted them back to the capital.

Creeping back into the ducal palace like thieves didn't even register on Robert's mental 'strange meter' anymore. It was late night but Thomar didn't take any chances. To get in they used the secret passage way Robert had first been introduced to when they had gone to that disco in town. That was a little more than a year ago but it seemed like a lifetime to Robert. The dumb pet he had been back then didn’t exit anymore. They might share a lot of memories but Robert looked at them from a very different angle than that pet had done.

The ducal suite lay quiet and dark, the only sound soft snoring from the bed. The first thing Thomar did was to firmly tell the Youh’Kai standing guard in the corridor outside not to come in, whatever they might hear. When he was standing next to Robert again he was whispering under his breath that he very much hoped they would disobey that order or they would be in serious trouble later.

Then the young duke stalked into the bedroom, again with those strange white daggers in his hands. Robert followed him, stopping in the doorway. He needed to see the end of this nightmare to be fully convinced that it was truly over, no matter how bloody it might turn out.

So he watched in silence as Thomar crept up to the bed where his mirror image slept, entwined with the voluptuous succubus pet.

He had just a moment to wonder if she would cast the spell of her beauty on his real master now, as Thomar leaned over her. Just a moment to feel a hint of panic. Then his amazing, ruthless, brutal master firmly grabbed her hair and cut her throat. She had time for a surprised, ugly gurgling noise before she died.

It was enough to wake the demon masquerading as the duke but not enough to wake him quickly. Before he was able to do anything the real duke already straddled him, pinning him to the bed with both dagger crossed over his throat.

Robert felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine as Thomar leaned down and licked the cheek of the helpless man who looked just like himself. This was decidedly sexy. He loved to see his master dominate the bastard who had caused both of them so much anguish.

For the fake duke there was no quick death. There were questions and when answers failed to appear quickly enough there was pain. Lots of exquisite pain. There was screaming and pleading and everything Thomar wanted to know about the plot hatched against him. And then there was more screaming and pleading as Thomar extracted bloody revenge. 

When the demon finally died Robert felt that he had suffered sufficiently. He had never considered himself the vindictive type but the display of merciless cruelty on his behalf had been most satisfying.

Even if it had ruined their bed. He didn’t really want to keep it anyway, considering that the succubus slut and the fake duke must have fucked in it a lot.

“Yeah.” Thomar agreed. “A new bed might be a good idea.”

He climbed of the killing field and wiped off some of the blood with a blanket. None of the Youh’Kai guards had appeared despite all the screaming.

“Can you fix me a drink?” Thomar asked, all business and Dracon ruler now. “I need to order some arrests and then get my planet back under control.”

Robert nodded but didn’t let his master pass through the doorway. Instead it was he who grabbed Thomar in the back of his neck and passionately kissed him this time. “I love you, too.” He then said the thing he had needed to say for a long time. His master grinned at him with the carnal hunger of a huge predator. It was another kind of promise. One that Robert fully intended to hold his master to. Later.

Thomar called the guards inside, had the bed complete with the corpses removed, gave orders to arrest the participants in the plot against him and had F’leer put under house arrest until it could be determined if the influence of the succubus had been cleared from his mind by her death.

Robert didn’t stop at fixing his master a drink. He also ordered some food since Thomar had to be starving after being imprisoned in that crystal. Then he grabbed some servants to find T’lark where they had left him in the glider and take him to the palace’s infirmary. 

At some point in the past he would have considered it unfitting for a pet to take such an active role but he didn’t give a fuck anymore. His friend was hurt and he’d see to it that T’lark was taken proper care of. He had no problem whatsoever yelling at startled and barely awake medical personnel to move their asses.

Only when they had reassured him that it was only a minor concussion, that his arm had been set and he had been treated with the most expensive and potent healing agents, did he leave T’lark in their care and returned to the ducal quarters.

The bustle of guards and courtiers had subsided and now there were only the two guards at the door who greeted him with a smile, seeming as happy as he felt that things were back to normal. Inside he found the lit fireplace the only source of light. A large mattress had been placed in front of it, complete with a nest of blankets and pillows.

Thomar sat there, wrapped in a blanket and contemplating the flames. He looked up when Robert entered and smiled as well.

“How is T’lark?” he asked.

“Asleep.” Robert answered, settling next to his master. “They put him under so he can heal.”

“Good.” Thomar shifted closer but not close enough to touch.

Robert sensed that now was the time to talk and that his master was looking for proper words. He did not rush him.

“I was seven years old when I first met a strange Youh’Kai boy playing in the mountains. I loved to go off on my own. I felt welcome with the Youh’Kai but I always knew that I wasn’t really one of them. That strange boy and I, we met often and we played together. We went to the most amazing places. He showed me things you can’t imagine. He was my secret and he liked that. Of course I realized that he wasn’t really a Youh’Kai, but I didn’t question him. He was too much fun. As I grew up he grew up with me and one day he revealed his true nature. He was one of the gods revered by the Youh’Kai, they call him the god of masks and to them he has a thousand names and none. He explained that he had chosen me. The gods sometimes do this, they choose a Youh’Kai to be their mortal image. Normally such children are known and held in highest regard. But he is a god of mystery and secrets so I was his secret as much as he was mine. He gave me many blessings and in return he gets to experience the world through my life. A shard of him is me.”

Robert listened to the calm words, surprised how little shock he felt. So his master was some kind of blessed child of on alien deity. It explained all the things he had never understood about Thomar and if anything he felt deeply reassured and honoured that Thomar would share these things with him now.

“That thing you saw tonight. That was a mask he gave me long ago. One of his blessings.” Thomar continued.

Then he leaned just a little closer, resting his head against Robert’s shoulder. “When they came to take me back to become duke I saw him the last time. He was delighted at the prospect of me returning to human society. I hated it. He told me he might come visit but he never has. I sometimes feel his eyes on me. I wanted to run away, I wanted to be free of all this.” He vaguely gestured at the room around them. “I wanted to be with him again, seeing fantastic things, visiting impossible places.”

Robert had just a moment to feel rising dread at the idea when Thomar said. “But I had sworn an oath of fealty to the Emperor that I would care for this planet. I thought that weight would crush me. I was so alone with it. So I decided I needed a distraction. If I couldn’t go where I pleased, I would have to bring everywhere home to me. I looked for a pet that had been everywhere, that had seen everything. I didn’t find that, but you came close enough.”

A startled laugh escaped Robert at this unexpected explanation and Thomar mirrored it. “And you were a real bargain, too.” He added and Robert could hear the grin in his voice. “The shipping costs were horrendous though.”

There was a time when the fact that he had been dirt cheap would have galled Robert but now he smiled about his master’s joke.

“You turned out much more than I had expected.” Thomar continued softly. “I was hoping for a little distraction and got someone who loved me. Someone, who didn’t flinch when I put on another mask. Someone, I could show any face to and who would still know that all of them were me. Someone I could share my life with.”

The way he said it sounded much bigger than Robert had ever thought it was, but it was all true. It also reminded him of another question he needed to ask and had postponed again and again.

“When you told your mother that I was your nar’sini, did you really mean that?” he asked, very sure that he already knew the answer.

“Yes.”

As simple as that. All of Robert’s endless agonizing over possible implications and as he always did Thomar cut through them with one word.

“You know what I thought about while I was stuck in that blasted crystal? I thought about you. What they might do to you. If they had hurt you, killed you, sold you. I spent that whole time hoping I would get a chance to punish them for whatever they might have done to you.”

There were a million polite things Robert could have replied to that but instead he said what he truly felt. “I like that.”

Again Thomar laughed, a tiny little evil laugh, the sound delighting Robert as it was so much the man he loved.

“I love you.” Thomar said, mirroring Robert’s thoughts. “You make all of this worth it.”


	12. Knight in Shining Armour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pet hunted by cruel nobles is rescued by a knight in shining armour

Whatever the brilliant scientists working on fixing Aylian's climate had done, it was definitely working, Robert mused as he stepped out onto one the balconies overlooking the capital. The night air caressing his skin felt balmy. Just cool enough to be pleasantly refreshing after the heat of many active bodies packed into a room filled with music, laughter, and the smells of exotic food, alcohol and sex. Robert smiled as he deeply breathed the fresh air. 

Most of his life he would have served as entertainment at such a party, fucked by his master or the guests. Now he was a guest himself to be treated politely and with respect or even deference.

Not too long ago, he would have been safely locked up in the ducal quarters now, where there was no danger of him accidentally being used or abused by some noble. Those times were past as well. By now, everyone who was someone at court knew that he was entirely off limits. More importantly, though, Thomar trusted him to take care of himself. Of course there still was a Youh'Kai guard hidden somewhere in the shadows of the balcony. But he would only interfere if there was real need.

Robert sighed softly. He missed having T’lark as his constant companion, watching over him. The other Youh’Kai were polite enough, but they weren’t his friends. At least, T’lark was even more annoyed than Robert at being banned from active duty until his broken arm was fully healed. He was out of the infirmary now and bored out of his mind.

Compared to F’leer, he was lucky though. The captain of the ducal guards had fallen prey to the charms of the succubus who had poisoned Thomar. Firmly under her spell, he had done whatever she asked of him. After the succubus had been killed, he had been placed under house arrest until it was determined that he was free of demonic influence. That had included him submitting to examinations by a team of Youh’Kai priests and Verata. Not a pleasant procedure. But now his name was cleared and he was back on his job, both embarrassed and furious at the fact that he been manipulated.

Making sure that his guards would be protected from demonic influence in the future was only one of the things the young Duke was fixing after the whole affair.

For once, Robert was keeping up to date on the details even though they were bordering very close on politics which he hated to get involved in. The IIS had sent agents to investigate the plot against the Duke after Thomar had informed them. It turned out that it hadn’t so much been a plan to take control of Aylian as a plot hatched to control the only portal between their universe and the demon realm. Networking with their counterparts from the demon side, it was uncovered that ultimately the conspirators had aimed at toppling the demon empress. They didn’t receive full details, but apparently quite a few players on the demon side were publicly and very messily removed by the empress’ assassins to send a sign to other would-be-conspirators.

Only a few days ago, Thomar had received a private message from the empress herself, delivered by one of her champions, in which she apologized for the trouble her unruly subjects had caused. From a monstrous entity known to devour whole demon realms to further her power, that was a generous gesture indeed.

Despite all the anguish Robert had suffered while the fake duke had banned him from court, he now couldn’t help but feel that ultimately, it had been a good thing. He and Thomar now knew exactly where they stood with each other. If anything similar would have happened tonight, Robert wouldn’t fall into bleak despair – he would know beyond the shadow of a doubt that his lover would never discard him and he would immediately act to find out what was wrong. 

It was more than that, though. Knowing that he wasn’t only loved but had a friend to trust in had given him something he had lacked his whole life, and that was confidence. His status hadn’t changed. He still was the Duke’s pet, no more, no less and he liked it that way. But still, he had yet again noticed a subtle shift in how members of court treated him and he knew that was a result of the way he carried himself. There had been a time when this would have worried him, when he would have spent hours considering all the possible negative consequences of his actions. Now he didn’t. He just lived.

Of course it was only a matter of time until Thomar would do something outrageous again which would send Robert into another nervous breakdown. But that was part of being with Thomar, part of what made life with the young Duke so exciting.

With a warm smile he stroked Alain’s amulet. And of course his wonderful, brave hellhound was part of his life as well. Alain had spent a few days sleeping in the amulet after his injury and then immerged as good as new. Only now he sported a roughish, faint scar across his snout where the demon monster had scrapped him. It made him look daring and more mature and Robert had caught his little darling looking at himself in a mirror approvingly, turning his head this way and that, studying the scar. Like all demon creatures he was hopelessly vain and Robert thought it was one of the cutest things he had ever seen.

Which reminded Robert of the other cute and dangerous creature in his life and that he should probably go back inside to find out what his impossible master was up to now.

He was just turning around when he heard the rapid sound of running, naked feet and then a small figure burst out onto the balcony at full speed and crashed into him. He managed to catch the much slighter body and to keep both of them from falling over.

In the dim light, he could make out long, flowing auburn hair, delicate curves and huge, terror filled blue eyes, staring up at him. Around the girl’s neck, a thin gold collar identified her as a slave. Judging by her beauty and the thin, revealing dress, she was the pet of one of the guests.

"Please, let me go!" she pleaded breathlessly, glancing over her bare shoulder.

Now Robert noticed cheerful shouting and heavier running footsteps closing in on the doorway to the balcony.

Robert felt immensely sorry for the poor girl, but there really was no point in running for a pet.

"You can't run away from your master, love." He gently told her.

Tear spilled over, creating black tracks from her mascara. "Nonono..." she whispered, frantically trying to free himself from his grip, "My master would never hurt me. He just left for a minute when they..."

"There is the little bitch!" A strong male voice exclaimed as a trio of nobles stepped out onto the balcony. 

They were all dressed in expensive black, telling Robert that they were Dracon. Two of them were big, brutish young men, while the third was a rat faced teenager. Robert didn't need to imagine what they would do with the pet. He had been that pet often enough.

"You caught her!" One of the brutes addressed Robert, his face nearly splitting with a leering grin. "That's a good boy!"

There was no other exit from the high balcony, nowhere to run for the girl and she gasped in fear. Without hesitating Robert pushed her behind himself and faced the three nobles. He put on a pleasant smile.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid you are mistaken." He said evenly. "You can't have her."

Behind him the girl pressed close against him, suddenly all thoughts of flight gone as she had found the impossible - someone to protect her.

The three Dracon stared at him, dumbstruck by his failure to kneel and grovel. They didn't reek of too much drink, so Robert surmised it had to be lack of intelligence.

"Hey, watch it, boy!" the other brute demanded. "Hand her over!"

"No." Robert said and crossed his arms, coolly staring them down. 

It was a look he had seen often enough on Thomar to be able to copy it exactly. He felt giddy with excitement as the nobles uneasily shifted and looked at each other for ideas on how to deal with this unexpected obstacle.

He had never seen them at court before, so they probably where here with their parents, visiting from some remote country estate or from off planet. That meant they didn't know who he was and the fact that he wore a slave collar just like the girl would have made them cocky. But that he treated them with haughty disdain warned them that he was more than a mere pet. No noble unable to read such subtle social warnings survived for long.

One of the brutes apparently decided to ignore that warning, as he took a threatening step towards Robert. "Listen, boy, you better do what you're told or we'll smash your teeth in!" he growled.

Not the most creative threat Robert had ever heard by a long shot and certainly not one he felt threatened by.

"Listen, boy," he sneered back, putting emphasis on the second word, "you better run back to your mommy or I'll have your head removed from your neck."

He was enjoying himself tremendously.

The young noble was sputtering speechlessly, unable to comprehend how a mere pet could dare to stand up to him this way.

"Shit!" The rat faced boy suddenly whispered. "That's the duke's pet!"

Robert smirked at them cruelly with another expression borrowed from his master. The effect was extremely satisfying, as all three of the young man recoiled like he had suddenly sprouted horns and venomous claws.

"Hey, we didn't mean anything..." The brute raised his hands in a calming gesture while simultaneously withdrawing two steps. He looked genuinely scared now.

Robert loved it.

He wondered if he should push them a little more and make them apologize to the slave girl, but while he was still considering that, they quickly made their escape back inside.

Then Robert felt slim arms sneak around his waist. He just had the chance to turn around and smile down at the girl before he was hugged tightly, her face buried against his chest. He gently hugged her back. For a long moment she just remained in his safe embrace.

"Thank you, sir." She then said, putting on a brave smile which looked all the more cute with her slightly smeared make up.

"You're welcome, love." He answered with a smile of his own and tugged a strand of her hair back behind her ear.

She really was a sweet thing and he very much hoped her owner appreciated her like he should.

Almost on cue another person stormed out onto the balcony.

"Rain?!" A voice heavy with worry exclaimed.

Robert turned to find another young Dracon, this one dressed in more modest clothes but quite pretty himself. He looked about as frantic as the slave girl had when she first collided with him. He spotted the pet in the same moment as she separated from Robert to fling herself into his arms.

"Simon!" Genuine happiness and relief at being back where she belonged were now in her voice and reassured Robert that this master meant her no harm.

"Rain!" He tried to hug her, check her for injuries and glare threateningly at Robert at the same time. "Have they hurt you? Has anyone hurt you?!"

Robert couldn’t help but smile at his protectiveness. She was definitely in good hands with this boy.

"No!" Rain laughed with relief. "This wonderful man rescued me!"

Immediately, the stance of the young noble changed as he now looked at Robert more closely. It was obvious when he realized who he was dealing with, but his reaction was not one Robert had thought he'd ever get from a noble. The young man bowed deeply.

"Thank you for protecting my beautiful Rain, Master Robert." He said with the courtesy one would have expected him to pay a higher ranking noble. "I am in your debt."

And once more Robert found himself using a gesture picked up from Thomar as he inclined his head politely.

"You are welcome." He answered.

It was obvious that the Dracon was struggling with trying to be polite and wanting to take care of his pet. So Robert gave him the easy way out and turned back to the view of the capital below after a friendly farewell nod.

That way neither of the two young people saw his huge grin as Rain whispered to her master. "He was so awesome! Like a knight in shining armour right out of a fairy tale!"


	13. When on Malicorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grand swine swinging tournament of Malicorn takes place every five years and is THE social event for all nobles in the Empire. It lasts several weeks, but since Duke Thomar only has time to attend over one weekend, he’ll have to pack all the partying he can into that time.

“My Lady, my Lord, please present your weapons.”

Thomar held out his two Youh’Kai daggers for inspection with a polite smile for the official from the planetary security forces of Malicorn. The woman was in uniform, her short blond curls surrounding her stern face with at least a bit of softness. She had introduced herself as Detective Andrea Miles before she explained the rules and fees that the duchess of Malicorn applied to any duel taking place on her planet.

Any duel had to be supervised by a representative of the planetary security forces. Weapons had to be checked by that official to assure that there would be no cheating. The small fee for the presence of the official was to be paid by the victor. Rules of engagement had to be cleared with the official before the duel began and the official would see to it that those rules were observed.

Considering nobles on other planets duelled when and where and how ever they wanted those were quite a few regulations, but they ensured that the safe and orderly holiday environment Malicorn offered to its many tourists saw a minimum of disturbance. 

Failure to comply with the regulations would result in a large fine and possible banishment from Malicorn. Most nobles attending the grand swine swinging tournament wouldn’t have been deterred by the fine but being excluded from the most important social event of the Empire was too high a risk.

The detective used a scanner on Thomar’s daggers and then turned to the young Dracon baronesses facing the Duke of Aylian with a decidedly ill expression on her face. Where last night she had been all righteous indignation and fury, now, in the weak light of early morning, she looked anything but thrilled at the prospect of the duel to come.

The official completed the scan of her weapons and then raised her voice to the gathered audience. “The rules of engagement are plain. Fight to the death, using no other weapons then the daggers specified by the challenged party.”

The gathered nobles and assorted servants, slaves and pets clapped politely. None of them were quite awake yet after last night’s parties. Most of them were not here out of curiosity but for other duels scheduled after this one.

The exception was a cluster of Dracon girls close in age to Baroness Helga. Her friends had come to lend support to the young Lady after they had witnessed the humiliation she had endured at Thomar’s hands at last night’s party.

Robert still had no idea why his erratic master had gone out of his way to insult and aggravate the Baroness. He had watched with horror from a safe distance as Thomar’s behaviour grew more and more outrageous. He was almost sure that Thomar had actively worked on getting the girl so furious she would challenge him. But he had no clue why his master would hate her enough to do that.

Granted, she wasn’t exactly a likeable person. Robert had watched how she and her group of friends treated their respective pets earlier in the evening and felt deeply sorry for the poor, wretched creatures. And one of her friends had made a point of stalking Thomar, clumsily trying to flirt with him. But none of that explained why Thomar had singled her out with such determination. 

Or why he had insisted on a duel to the death over such a trivial matter. Dukes weren’t supposed to duel at all, much less to the death. It’s wasn’t a law like Phoenix Knights being expressly forbidden any kind of duels, but more an unspoken rule. Robert was sure that Thomar had to have a very good reason to so blatantly ignore that rule. His questions on the subject had been met with a most unsatisfactory answer. 

“I can assure you she deserves it.” Thomar had told him and then refused to elaborate.

Robert had stupidly hoped that with one big secret about his weird master revealed, he would now understand all about him or get straight answers all the time. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen, but it wouldn’t keep him from asking.

The official was now done with her checks and stepped back to the sidelines of the duelling area. 

It was a spot set aside for such events in the park surrounding the great arena of the capital city of Malicorn. Considering its purpose, it was a beautiful place. It was secluded from the main path with flowering trees and bushes and stone benches set around the oval duelling area offered comfortable resting places to watch from. Like everything on Malicorn, it offered a maximum of convenience and pleasantness. 

Robert had never had the pleasure to serve an owner local to the planet, but he had visited a few times with various masters and without fail, there were some or several pleasant memories associated with these visits. Maybe Malicorn wasn’t as sophisticated a holiday location as Shiraz but if Robert had been asked where he would rather spend a few weeks with Thomar on vacation, he would have picked Malicorn for the simple reason that it would allow Thomar to do and be whatever he pleased. Of course, the amount of freely available bacon Robert could gorge himself on didn’t have anything to do with it.

But now, they were only here for a short weekend, and apparently Thomar was hell bent on squeezing every last bit of excitement out of that short time.

“My Lord, my Lady, you may begin.” The official announced.

Thomar and the Baroness each took a step back, facing each other and dropped into their respective fighting stances. With quiet dread Robert noticed that the baroness didn’t look half as inexperienced as he had hoped. For the first time, Robert wondered what would happen if his master lost this fight. Even disregarding the fact that he would loose the love of his life, it would be quite disastrous. Robert had no idea who would inherit him them. Suddenly the glaring lack of preparation should something happen to Thomar became apparent to Robert and he found himself gripping Alain’s amulet for support.

At least, he was surrounded by an honour guard of four Youh’Kai warriors who would defend him. Still the baroness might try to claim him as spoils. 

His hands and heart felt cold now despite the fact that the sun was rising over the trees and filling the duel area with golden light.

He watched as his lover and the Dracon girl circled each other. Thomar looked relaxed and wore an infuriatingly cocky smile, while the baroness was tense and grim.

‘Please kill her quickly’, Robert thought, ‘please don’t play games, please just kill her’. 

But of course his master didn’t hear him and even if he had, he would probably not have listened. When the baroness lunged at him, he danced out of the way with a mocking giggle and that set the tone of the duel. She chased him around while he eluded her effortlessly, his laughter taunting her. Now and then he would twist and cut, quick as a striking snake, and draw some blood on her. 

Each time it happened, the cluster of Dracon girls gasped in unison, grating on Robert’s nerves, and as the duel wore on, the desire to strangle each and every one of them and Thomar on top grew in Robert. 

That the Youh’Kai guarding him seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show didn’t help either. At least they remained calm and threatening with just a muttered word of appreciation here and there instead of cheering like little boys.

They didn’t flinch when Thomar didn’t manage to duck out of the way fast enough but Robert gripped Alain’s amulet so hard the edges painfully cut into his fingers, as his master started bleeding from a small wound to his thigh. It didn’t help that Thomar laughed about that as well. Why didn’t that impossible boy take his own security more seriously? Why hadn’t they brought F’leer along? Maybe the taciturn captain of the young Duke’s bodyguards would have been able to rein him in.

‘Maybe you should have told him, what you think of this duel’ a rather spiteful little voice in the back of Robert’s mind piped up. It wasn’t his place to criticize what his master considered a fun past time. That was his first and of course the proper response to this comment. But it was true. He could have said something. And maybe Thomar would have listened. He could at least have tried. Maybe Thomar did always have a plan and knew what was best but sometimes he didn’t – the past had proven that. And maybe it wasn’t proper pet behaviour to advise his master, but it was entirely properly behaviour for a nar’sini to bloody tell his lover when he was taking stupid risks.

He glared at the duelling nobles with renewed anger, now including himself in the people he ought to strangle.

Feeling responsible was a new and unpleasant sensation.

And then it was over. One moment Thomar was dodging an especially reckless attack, the next he and the baroness suddenly were locked in a tight embrace and blood poured from her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

One of her friends screamed, tried to dash towards them and was restrained by her own guards.

Thomar held the baroness while her limbs jerked a few more times. Then she went still and he gently lowered her to the ground. The official came forward again, knelt next to the body and professionally checked her for vital signs with a scanner. Then she rose and dusted of her pants.

"I proclaim Duke Thomar Dracon of Aylian the victor of the duel," she announced. Then she turned to the baroness' guards. "Please clear the duelling area for the next match."

Robert watched in mute shock as the corpse that had only moments before been a vibrant young woman was removed. That could have been Thomar.

His master didn't seem fazed at all. He paid the fee to the official and even took the time to say something flirty, judging by how she suddenly blushed.

Then Thomar returned to Robert's side. While he put his jacket back on, each of his Youh'Kai guards had some comment about his fighting style, some offering praise, some advice on what he could still improve. Robert remained silent.

They left the duelling area without any of the Dracon friends of the baroness bothering them. Their own mortality had just been demonstrated to them and they didn't feel cocky anymore, Robert mused. If they tried to extract revenge, it would be in a much more covert way.

Only when they had left the park surrounding the arena and were well on their way back to the hotel where they were staying for their weekend on Malicorn did Thomar seem to pick up on Robert's mood.

"What's up?" he asked cheerfully, still elated by his easy victory. "You look like sour grapes."

Robert scowled at him and only when Thomar blinked in surprise did he realize this was probably the first time he had ever done so.

"You're angry at me." Thomar concluded with an infuriating amount of wonder and quite happy amazement in his voice.

"Yes, I am angry at you." Robert growled. "And that is not something to be proud of."

"Well..." Thomar shrugged. "I think it's quite the improvement and," he smirked, "it is quite sexy, too."

For a moment Robert seriously considered slapping his owner. Not hard, just a bit of a smack. But then he instead haughtily raised his nose and proceeded to ignore Thomar.

"Okay..." Thomar commented, sounding even more amazed. "Silent treatment. That is new as well. You are full of surprises today." Then he sighed. "So what did I do to incur you wrath?"

He really had no clue.

"Did it ever occur to you that you might lose that duel?" Robert asked and was a little surprised how calm he sounded. A little angry, but certainly not scared and mousy. Damn, but he had changed.

"Not really...?" Thomar answered, entirely unperturbed. "She was no match to me whatsoever."

"But even you aren't immune to ill luck." Robert stopped and looked up at his young master. "What if you had died back there? Did you consider what would happen to me then?"

He absolutely didn't expect Thomar's slightly indignant answer. "Of course." He replied with a little frown of his own. "I would never risk anything happening to you just because I stupidly get myself killed. My will is very clear on who will inherit you."

Robert blinked at him owlishly. "So who will?" he asked the obvious question, expecting it to be T'lark.

Once more his master didn't turn out to be as co-operative as he hoped. "Someone trustworthy." He dodged a clear answer.

This time Robert refused to leave it at that. After all it was his life they were talking about. "And who is that someone."

Thomar actually fidgeted, cornered like that. It was a reaction Robert had rarely seen on him. "I can't tell you. It is a very good friend of mine. But I promised I wouldn't tell."

Robert stared at him in horror. "You're not leaving me to your..." Robert searched for appropriate words which would not reveal Thomar's secret, "your childhood friend?"

"What?! No!" Thomar shook his head. "Not him! Someone else." He smiled at Robert with considerable charm. "Please, trust me about this."

"So you have another secret friend I don't know about." Robert snorted, slowly starting to feel amused by the fact that his lover remained a bottomless well of mysteries.

"I'm sorry." Thomar leaned in closer, taking Robert face between his hands. "I didn't want to scare you."

Damn, it was so hard to stay mad at him when one was drowning in his soft brown eyes.

"Forgive me?" A sweet kiss to his lips was followed by a gentle nip of sharp teeth. "I promise I'll find a way to make it up to you."

Make that it was impossible to stay mad at him. "Just try to be more careful, yes?" Robert asked even though he knew it was futile. He always asked that and it never seemed to happen.

"I'll try." Thomar promised solemnly and Robert knew perfectly well he wouldn't manage to succeed at it.

\---

 

“…so if the pig wakes up the swinger is disqualified?” 

Thomar’s slightly incredulous question amused Robert to no end. That he wasn’t the one trying to explain the complex and ridiculous art of swine swinging to his master made the whole episode even more pleasurable.

It was the first time the young Duke of Aylian was exposed to this particular and very unique type of sports event and he had trouble believing anyone was actually taking the joy and pride of Malicorn seriously.

“No. But the throw doesn’t count.” Princess Ceilicia patiently explained. “The swinger only gets disqualified if the pig is hurt.”

She and her twin sister Shana were about the same age as Thomar and the youngest children of the Duchess of Malicorn. Robert wasn’t sure if she had volunteered to play hostess to the visiting Duke of Aylian for the weekend or if her mother had ordered her to do it. But she seemed to genuinely enjoy it. That she wasn’t trying to flirt with him but was just friendly in a companionable way went a long way in setting Thomar at ease. 

Or maybe it was because she was half Youh’Kai. Normally humans and Youh’Kai were genetically incompatible, but for whatever reason that hadn’t stopped the Duchess and her Youh’Kai husband from having four healthy and capable children. Robert’s guess was that they had employed some scientific means. Other people whispered that they had used some dark Youh’Kai rites. 

Whatever her origin, Princess Ceilicia was quite a pretty girl, her Youh’Kai heritage showing in delicate bone ridges which enhanced the noble cast to her face. She was slim and taunt and had a silvery laugh that reminded Robert of a clear brook in spring. She also definitely was of the new breed of Dracon nobles who cared about the people they ruled over. Robert couldn’t help but classify her as a ‘nice girl’ in his mind when he watched how she treated her own pet, a lively slave girl about her age.

While Ceilicia was enlightening Thomar about the rules of the tournament, Robert was curiously keeping track of the proceeding on the floor of the arena. They were seated in a private box where they had a great view of the show.

It wasn’t Robert’s first swine swinging, but the first one where he wasn’t on the floor next to his owner and didn’t get to see much of the actual event. Despite the fact that the sport was in itself a rather strange idea, it was quite pleasant to watch. Malinos in general were good looking and the athletes competing were even more so. There was a certain appeal to watching them gently massage their pigs into a blissful stupor so they could safely be thrown without risking injury to the pigs.

The origin of the sport was mundane enough: farmers had perfected the art of setting their pigs at ease to more quickly and easily stow them for transport.

That it had picked up the interest of nobles of the whole Empire had less innocent reasons. A good looking, hunky Malino who was also exceptionally skilled at giving relaxing massages was not only good for throwing pigs, he would also made a great pet. So the reason nobles attended the tournament was less an interest in the sport as in the athletes. They were bought and sold at prices which got more ludicrous the better they performed in the tournament.

“Every athlete of course brings their own pig.” Ceilicia continued to explain. “The swinger and the pig form quite the team and having a pig which trusts you completely is quite an asset. Most swinger actually bring two or three pigs so they can use the one which is most sleepy.”

“I’m not entirely sure but I think this whole event is one of the silliest things I have ever witnessed.” Thomar said with a grin that took the insult out of his words.

Princess Ceilicia laughed. “You better not say that where any of the more patriotic Malinos can hear you. You could get clubbed with hams for that.”

"What I don't really get is why the commoners are so crazy about the whole thing." Thomar mused. "I mean, I get the nobles, that part is pretty obvious."

"It involves pigs." Ceilicia answered. "Anything involving pigs is a good thing on Malicorn." And then she launched into another lengthy explanation about the history of Malicorn.

Robert could see that his master listened with rapt attention, interested in the culture of the planet which was quite different from Aylian's. 

Robert's attention drifted back to the show or more precisely to an especially hunky athlete who was preparing his pig on the sidelines close to their box. He was gently stroking the pig and whispering to it. The pig was lying on its side, blissfully unaware of anything but the attention lavished on it and Robert could very well see the appeal of owning such a swine swinger. He had no trouble whatsoever imagining himself lying there, being pampered.

His musings were cut short as Claire, the pet of Princess Ceilicia slipped back into the box. She was quite different from her mistress with a mob of blonde curls and ample curves. She carrying a huge tray laden with snacks and drinks.

With a sudden pang of jealousy Robert watched how her mistress noticed and immediately broke off her conversation with Thomar to rush to her aid balancing the tray. How they both laughed and touched each other with familiarity which spoke clearly of affection.

What would he have given to have such an easy, happy relationship with his master at her age. She had no idea what horrors the life of a pet could hold.

His dark thoughts were interrupted by his own master's warm fingers touching his cheek. When he looked at Thomar, he found a gentle, understanding smile. Chagrined he realized how much luckier he was than poor little Claire. If Princess Ceilicia was married off to a jealous man, she might easily be forced to sell her sweet pet and the girl would all too quickly loose what happiness she had. Robert on the other hand was safe in the knowledge that his master would ruthlessly murder anyone who dared get between them.

He smiled back at Thomar and was rewarded with a kiss.

Then Claire settled next to Robert, putting the tray on the small table before them in convenient reach.

"All right, I think I have at least one of each containing any kind of bacon!" she cheerfully announced, beaming at Robert who had earlier commented that he really liked Malicorn bacon.

Suddenly any feeling of jealously was forgotten presented with such disarming kindness.

"I have mini pies with bacon and sweet chestnut, bacon and onion or bacon and cheese. The tiny squares are layered bacon and almond tart. Those are mussels fried in a bacon wrapping. That is herbed pork tenderloin with a bacon crust. And the bowl is smoked bacon ice cream with rosemary flowers." Claire started pointing out delicacies on the tray. "My personal favourite are the cheese-filled meatballs wrapped in bacon and fried. The downside is that I need to run one lap around the ducal palace for each two I eat of those bastards."

Robert entirely agreed with her assessment. He also decided that he could worry about his weight when they were back home and popped one of the treats into his mouth.

"If we were living on Malicorn I would have to get two more slaves for the sole purpose of carrying you around cause you would weigh a ton." Thomar teased.

The girls giggled and Robert grinned at his master as well. "Oh really, try one and tell me you would weigh any less."

He offered one of the meatballs to Thomar who made a point of nibbling them and then licking Robert's fingers clean, making pleasant shivers run down his spine.

"Mmmh... okay, I have to agree. These things are great..." Thomar agreed, greedily eyeing the tray.

The next few minutes passed with all of them trying the various snacks and discussing them.

Finally they paid attention to the sports event again. The current round of throws had concluded and the official presiding over the proceedings announced the various ranks the athletes had achieved and who would move on to the next round.

"So are you going to bid on anyone?" Ceilicia asked Thomar curiously.

"That would be pretty pointless since I won't be here for the finale." Thomar shrugged. "And I really don't see what we would do with a swine swinger."

"I could think of a few things." Robert mused. 

Not too long ago he wouldn't have been able to voice such a thought aloud but now it came entirely naturally. He smirked as Thomar blinked at him surprised.

"Really? You want one?" Thomar studied the athletes with renewed interest and Robert realized that if he really did want one of them he would only have to say so and his master would get him his very own swine swinger.

The idea was entertaining, but when examined more closely not quite that appealing. The swine swingers did not really match the physique or age Robert would have preferred in a pet, they were probably kind enough but suddenly removed from their home they would not be happy company and it was highly unlikely they would offer any intelligent conversation.

“I didn’t think they would fit into your hunting profile.” Thomar said, as if he had read Robert’s mind. “What about that one?” He pointed out a tall young man who was standing next to the official, smiling. He was dressed all in black and his handsome features had a decidedly noble cast. Thomar was entirely right, he made Robert’s mouth water.

Both Ceilicia and Claire burst into giggles.

“What?” Thomar asked slightly indignant, “I wouldn’t push him out of my bed either.”

“I’ll be sure to let him that.” Ceilicia replied with a huge grin. “That is my brother Lenien.”

Robert groaned and hid his face while Thomar laughed. “Well, at least I’ll have a handsome colleague to drool over when he becomes Duke of Malicorn one day.” He commented with his trademark complete lack of respect for anything.

\---

 

Parties on Malicorn offered the best of everything. The private party of Princess Ceilicia which Robert and his master were attending on their last evening on Malicorn was of course even more generous in every possible aspect. 

Just the location was hard to top. In the luscious gardens surrounding the ducal palace exotic flowers bloomed. Hidden between the fragrant blossoms on the trees colourful lampions provided just enough illumination to cast everything in a soft light. 

Music was played by various live bands. There were fire jugglers and mimes to entertain the guests.

Liveried waiters moved through the crowd, carrying trays with sparkly cocktails but there was also a proper bar where one could get pretty much any drink known to mankind.

And of course there was food. Lots and lots of food ranging from artfully arranged finger food offered on trays to a long buffet laden with Malicorn specialties to the option of lounging on one of the many divans under the trees and have a full dinner served.

The guest list was exclusive with only people invited who the princess considered as her friends. From what Robert had observed so far that meant people just as nice as herself.

Robert was sitting at the bar, sipping a sinfully expensive brandy from Nabucco and watching his master with a puzzled frown.

In front of the stage where the band was playing a space had been cleared for the guests to dance. The current band was playing a slow, sensual song and Thomar was on the dance floor with a Youh’Kai about his age, much too closely entwined and occasionally playfully kissing. They looked and moved like they were quite familiar with each other, with a trust which Robert would have considered impossible for his wary master.

That wouldn’t have been too strange, after all Thomar got along with Youh’Kai much better than with humans and he might have met the young man before. Only this particular alien wasn’t from the Phoenix Empire but from the neighbouring, only recently discovered Kai’Nor. It was ruled by Youh’Kai who had subjugated various alien races as well as some human worlds lost to the Phoenix Empire during the Dark Age. The previous Emperor had negotiated a shaky truce with them and only the current Emperor had with his abundant charm managed to turn that into a full fledged alliance.

This particular Youh’Kai was a prince, the son of some planetary ruler, and visiting the Phoenix Empire for the first time to form trading agreements and enjoy this culture alien to him. He had never been to Aylian and certainly never before met Thomar.

Still Robert was plagued by a nagging feeling of familiarity. He could have sworn he had seen the Youh’Kai before; he just couldn’t put his finger on where.

Despite his doubts he had to admit that the two young men looked gorgeous together. Thomar with his pale skin and wavy brown hair made a beautiful contrast to the milk-coffee coloured alien, who had slick, blue-black hair which fell down his back in a long braid.

With a pensive sigh Robert rubbed his chin. His master was entirely absorbed in dancing and flirting. Maybe Robert would be able to gather some additional information about his mysterious friend in the meantime. He wasn’t sure when his damned curiosity had turned from something which he suffered under to something he was actively doing something about, but the ugly truth was that he enjoyed the idea of snooping.

The Youh’Kai prince had arrived with a pet of his own, an adorably cute blonde human boy who clung to his master’s side like a purring bunny. Robert had watched from the bar as the alien parked his pet on one of the various divans, using the delicate and entirely ornamental golden chain he used as a leash to secure him to one leg of the low table in front of the divan. The boy was still there, comfortably resting. He was nibbling finger food and alternating between bored lounging and watching his master with a rapt attention that spoke of utter devotion. 

Surely the pet would know some juicy bits about this alien prince, Robert mused and rose from his bar stool. He made his way over to the divan at a leisurely pace, taking his time to study the other pet. 

It truly was a lovely boy. He looked a bit younger than Thomar but Robert knew well that didn’t say anything about his real age. Pets of this quality were bred to look young as long as possible so he might have been sixteen or in his late twenties. His heart shaped face was framed by curls the colour of butterscotch caramel, large blue eyes were framed by long lashes, his soft, inviting mouth was graced with a sweet smile.

When Robert walked up to the divan he looked up with a guileless curiosity that made Robert wonder if he really was as young as he looked.

“Hey,” Robert greeted him with a friendly tone, “do you mind if I join you for a while?”

Immediately the pet’s eyes flicked over to where his master was still dancing entirely absorbed in his rather close embrace with Thomar. Definitely a well mannered boy, Robert thought.

“That is my master your master is dancing with there,” Robert explained, “so I thought it might be nice if we got to know each other as well.”

The unsure expression on the boy’s face disappeared to make way for a radiant smile. “I guess, that’s okay then.” He said with a voice as soft and pleasant as a gentle love song.

He must have cost a small fortune, Robert mused as he settled on the divan next to him.

“My name is Robert.” He introduced himself.

“I’m Toffee.” The other pet said and Robert had to suppress a startled laugh at this entirely fitting if somewhat ridiculous name.

Of course nobles liked to name their favourite pets silly things like Bunny or Sugar or Muffin. When Robert served a remarkably stupid little Jehanni princeling, who lived a life of utterly boring luxury on an estate on Chiraz, he had gone by the name of “Twinkles” for a few months. Still it was a convention he had not been faced with for a while so it came as a surprise.

“That is a sweet name.” Robert replied instead of laughing with a cheeky smile.

The cute pet grinned back at him, apparently smart enough to appreciate the joke. “My master really likes it, too.” He said, presenting Robert with the perfect opening.

“Are you from Kai’Nor?” he asked, “you speak Imperial quite well.”

Toffee shook his head. “No, Master J’Kay bought me on P2 when he first arrived here on his visit. So he would have someone who could translate if he didn’t know a word and who could tell him about Empire customs.”

Not quite the answer Robert had hoped for since it meant that Toffee had only been in the Youh’Kai’s possession for a short time and likely didn’t know any mysterious details about him either.

“So what is he like?” Robert nonetheless asked.

Toffee smiled, his eyes returning to his still dancing master. “He is very kind and generous.” He said earnestly. “He is of course a prince so he expects to be treated with the respect he is due and he can be quite stern. But I really hope he will keep me and take me home with him.”

The boy sounded quite smitten and Robert found himself hoping that he would indeed find a master as steady as Thomar had turned out to be in his alien prince. “I’m sure he’ll keep you if you make sure he doesn’t get bored of you and always obey him.” He said, trying to give the kid some gentle pointers on how to retain the interest of an owner.

Toffee turned back to Robert and now his smile was much more mature and a little sad. “Prince J’Kay is my first master.” He confided. “I know it’s quite rare for a pet to remain with his first master and that with every one after the first we lose value. But one can still hope, yes?” he enquired, seeking reassurance from the much older and more experienced pet.

He was so adorable Robert was hard pressed not to hug the sweet thing protectively. There had been a time when he would have told the boy there was no such thing as hope for a pet, there was only dull acceptance of whatever fate dealt to you.

“Of course.” He said instead. “You may get your heart broken but what is the point in even living when you don’t try again and again.”

Now the radiant smile made a reappearance and Robert felt his mouth suddenly go dry, privately thinking that the Youh’Kai would be extraordinarily stupid to ever discard this deliciously sweet boy. With silent amusement Robert admitted to himself that he simply had a terrible weakness for cute boys. 

“Your master sure seems to be quick at making friends.” Robert changed the subject to maybe get at least some information out of the boy.

Toffee looked over their master who had now given up all pretence of dancing and were standing at the side of the dance floor, kissing, groping and whispering. Then he nodded.

“I’ve only seen them talking to each other once before and that was real briefly.” He said to Robert’s surprise.

“Really?” he asked. “And when was that?”

“At that cocktail party two days ago.” Toffee explained readily. “They were introduced and then my master sent me off to get him a drink. When I got back they were just saying their goodbyes. But they seemed to get along quite well.”

Somehow that detail had slipped Robert’s attention. But then he hadn’t really started paying terribly much attention to Thomar until his erratic master had started harassing that now dead Dracon baroness. Of course there was no reason to suspect the two incidents were in any way related but that was exactly what Robert suddenly wondered.

As if their masters had felt the scrutiny of their pets upon them, they suddenly turned and looked over to them. Robert would have given a lot to hear what words they were exchanging since they both grinned and Thomar then laughed.

Still completely disregarding each others’ personal space, they came over to the divan. When they got closer, Robert noticed a mischievous gleam in Thomar eyes which could only mean his impossible master had some sort of naughty plan.

“Hey, love.” Thomar greeted his pet and leaned down to kiss him. “I’m afraid I bring bad news…”

Definitely not what Robert wanted to hear, but he wasn’t overly worried considering Thomar didn’t look like someone bearing bad news but like someone getting ready to play some sort of decidedly indecent prank.

“Prince J’Kay and I have decided we really want to hit the local discos and stay out all night to party.” Thomar continued, elbowing the Youh’Kai with way too much familiarity which was answered with a wide grin from the alien.

“Indeed.” The Prince spoke with a most peculiar accent, the clipped sounds of the language spoken by the Youh’Kai of Kai’Nor evident. “Alas, I am loath to leave little Toffee here to his own devices.”

“So I suggested that surely you wouldn’t mind pet sitting the boy tonight.” Thomar continued seamlessly. 

The Youh’Kai leaned down to his pet and placed a soft kiss on his temple. “Now, Toffee, I want you to be a good boy and do whatever Master Robert tells you to, is that clear?” he said.

While Toffee nodded, Robert looked at Thomar slightly incredulous as it started to dawn on him what this was - Thomar making up for scaring him with that duel on the previous day. Thomar winked at him and the alien Prince confirmed his thoughts with his next words.

“I expect Master Robert to be entirely satisfied with your performance.” He told Toffee who now glanced over at Robert with an indecent sparkle of his own in his eyes.

“Yes, Master.” He agreed and then licked his lips seductively.

Robert drained the last of his brandy. With their masters heading of to god knows where to get into god knows what kind of mischief, there really was no point for their pets in staying at this party. Especially as he suddenly had much better things to do.

-

Four hours later Robert lay on his back and watched as Toffee slowly lowered and raised himself on his cock, an expression of quiet, sated happiness on his sweet face, his head slightly tilted back, exposing a slim, tanned throat.

If there was one thing Robert had learned from his life with Thomar, it was that he had to take care not to come quickly when he was in bed with a teenage boy. They were voracious, could go again and again and would react with pouting disappointment when their partner tired out.

So while Toffee had been allowed to suck him he hadn’t been allowed to actually bring him to completion even once. The boy on the other hand had been fucked vigorously in all the exotic and enjoyable positions Robert was experienced in and Robert had stopped counting how often the kid had come.

Now the young pet was blissfully tired and his movements were languid as his need had been satisfied and he now fully enjoyed the sensations of the afterglow of multiple orgasms coupled with the still present stimulation.

He was beautiful, Robert mused, truly a treasure. Such a sensual creature really deserved to be cherished and he very much hoped his master would do so.

With a sigh of pleasure he placed his hands on the boy’s hips, gently guiding him to raise himself up just a little higher. He was reasonably sure this would be the end of their extended love making session so he now would finally get to come as well.

Toffee looked down at him, his blue eyes full of honest admiration.

“You may make me come now.” Robert told him with a smile.

He was happy when this brought a delighted smile to the boy’s face who leaned down to capture his mouth in a kiss.

“Gladly.” Toffee whispered into Robert’s ear.

Robert groaned as the boy tensed up around his cock, creating more delicious friction. Toffee wasn’t just gorgeous, he was also very well trained. Robert had been on the edge for so long now the simple act of relaxing his iron self control brought him right up to orgasm. He wrapped his arms around Toffee and held him close, keeping their mouth locked in a kiss. He thrust up into the receptive body and felt the wonderful rush as all his senses drew together into a white-hot sharp point of pleasure.

Then he came hard.

Only when he came down from his high moments later did he notice the hot wetness spreading between their bodies, testament to the fact that Toffee had come again as well. The boy was now resting in his arms with an expression on his face that could only be called well-fucked.

Robert gently lifted him off his cock and took a moment to wipe both of them off with a corner of their blanket. Then he arranged the nearly sleeping boy in his arms and closed his own eyes with a happy sigh.

Malicorn truly was the best when one was looking for a pleasant vacation.


	14. A Night at the Opera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebuilding of the opera in Aylian’s capital is at long last complete and ready for its first show. Thomar has no interest in attending the event, but Robert would love to and Lady Car desperately needs someone to accompany her who will not cause people to run away in panic.

"And you really don't want to come?" Robert asked as he stepped out of the bathroom.

Thomar was lying on the bed on his belly, entirely naked, with a bowl of crackers at his side, turning the pages of some comic book. The Duke of Aylian definitely didn't look like wanted to go anywhere. Every person of even moderate importance would be at the opera tonight to be seen, which meant that no one demanded any of the Duke's precious time. He had the evening off.

Thomar glanced up at Robert lazily and then slowly, languidly turned on his back, stretching like a graceful cat, displaying himself in a most un-noble and sexy way. He was in pet-mode, Robert realized with a hint of despair. In contrast to his master, Robert very much wanted to leave and preferably with his carefully groomed outfit intact. He also knew that Thomar would be impossible to resist if he really set out to seduce Robert.

His thoughts must have been evident on his face as Thomar suddenly laughed and slipped off the bed, effortlessly shifting from needy boy to indulgent master.

"Awh, I won't spoil your evening, love." He said gently, coming up to Robert and kissing the tip of his nose. Then he took a step back again and critically eyed his pet. "You look great, you know that, I hope?" 

For once Robert couldn't help but agree with his master's assessment. He wore a rust red overcoat with subtle gold embroidery, a cream coloured shirt with just a hint of ruffles, dark slacks and shoes polished to a mirror shine. He had spent most of the afternoon with getting ready for the occasion, trying various outfits and then getting his hair just right and applying some very subtle make up to smooth over some wrinkles.

Not only would he accompany Lady Car on the grand re-opening of the capital's opera, he would also be representing the Duke. In the last few months, he had repeatedly accompanied Thomar on official occasions as his arm candy and companion, not just as his pet. But this would be the first time he would take the Duke's place as his official representative. It wasn't a political situation so there wasn't too much harm he could do, still he felt the trust of his master and the responsibility keenly. It made him nervous. Not like it would have a year ago, when he would have been hiding under the bed as a quivering mass of fear right now. But still nervous.

"Yes, master." Robert answered Thomar's question dutifully, which earned him a gentle slap to his arm.

"Robert? Are you coming?" T'lark called from the entrance to the suite. "Your date is waiting."

The knowledge that T'lark would stay in sight of him at all times and guard his back helped a lot to ease Robert's mind. He had even managed to get the Youh'Kai interested in the opera that would be playing tonight despite his friend's notorious dislike of anything more cultural than pop music.

"Go on," Thomar shooed him off with a smile, "I'll be right here in this bed waiting for you when you return."

That was for a change a promise his master was likely to keep, so it gave Robert another thing to look forward to tonight.

T'lark inspected Robert's attire just as curiously as Thomar had, but his reaction was a bit different. "My, aren't you a fine gentleman tonight!" he mocked and sketched a rather inelegant bow.

"You, on the other hand, are your usual filthy alien self." Robert shot right back. 

As always, his friend was wearing his tribal looking leather-and-bone armour. When Robert had first met him, he had been impressed by a genuine Youh-Kai. These days, he could tell that the bone was fake and the cut wasn't quiet authentic. It was what city Youh-Kai dressed up with when they wanted to look feral.

Robert had briefly tried to beg T'lark into wearing something decent just once for this special occasion. The alien had refused, citing that he had a reputation to uphold.

T'lark laughed at the friendly jibe and together they headed out of the ducal chambers and through the vast corridors of the fortress down to the central courtyard where Robert's "date" was waiting.

Lady Car looked as impressive as ever, a huge, hulking demon with glistening black scales, leathery wings and claws. Apparently, her kind of dress up consisted of elaborate gold paint on her chest and shoulder scales. It didn't exactly look pretty, but it sure looked luxurious.

After the Duke's abduction by demons there had been quite a few allegations cast on her of being involved. Primarily by those human nobles who were keenly aware what kind of threat it posed that she was unfailingly loyal towards the Duke. Even more so taking into the equation the horde of flying combat demons she commanded.

Thomar had calmly watched from the sidelines how Lady Car removed her enemies at court with means of cunning, charm or plain brutality. She had been very carefully checked by the IIS and the investigators of the demon empress and they had given her a clean bill. So when the dust settled and she emerged as the victor of the courtly backstabbing, he had politely congratulated her, indicating to everyone that she had his favour.

Even though the human nobles might dislike her, she had managed to win the commoners' hearts by doing exactly what she promised when Robert met her the very first time. She had invested considerable amounts of her riches and manpower into helping re-build Aylian after the devastating demon invasion.

The most prestigious of these investments had been her generous donations to the project of repairing and re-opening the opera in the capitol. That made her one of tonight's guests of honour.

Robert was still not very good at reading expressions in her scaly face, but he guessed that the constant licking over her exposed huge canines was a sign of nervousness. When Robert approached her, she broke into her version of a wide grin, showing rows upon rows of sharp teeth in her huge maw.

"Master Robert," she greeted him full of enthusiasm, "you look splendid tonight!"

Of course Robert had chosen an outfit to match her colours and he was quite pleased that her gold paint matched with his gold embroidery.

"Thank you, Milady," he returned her greeting with the hint of a bow, "may I return the compliment?"

Who would have thought that he would ever have the confidence to exchange polite pleasantries with a demon lord eye to eye and actually mean them? He was never quite able to stop wondering at the turns his life had taken.

Lady Car offered her arm to him and led him over to the waiting limousine glider, even holding the door open for him. Robert knew that she was deeply grateful that he was accompanying her. Not just because it once more was a show of favour that the Duke entrusted his precious pet to her care, but also because she valued and cherished his social abilities and willingness to give her clues when she was at a loss at some human custom alien to her.

Robert settled into the plush seat of the limousine opposite from Lady Car, while T'lark rode in the front next to the pilot. Moment later, they were in the air and on their way.

The ride to the opera wasn't long, but long enough for Lady Car to once more make an attempt at honing her small talk skills.

"I have studied the musical samples you have provided me with." She said. "Most fascinating. My people only practice the most rudimentary kinds of music, mostly drums to accentuate rituals. The depth and variety I have witnessed in those few samples was staggering and I understand it was only a fraction of what the sentient races of this universe have created?"

Robert smiled at her. "Yes, those were only different pieces of what is commonly referred to as classical music. The kind of music performed by an orchestra and singers like we will see tonight." He explained. "There are many other kinds of music. If you are interested, I can find samples of other types of music for you."

"Certainly!" Lady Car nodded. "You know I am interested in all aspects of your culture."

"On technologically more advanced worlds, music is broadcasted via radio transmissions. If you ever visit P2 or Malicorn or Guild Central, you should check that out." Robert suggested.

Lady Car made that deep, gurgling sound that Robert had come to recognize as her version of a chuckle. "It would seem a great many people believe I should be visiting Malicorn." She told Robert, amused. "Not only have various courtiers told me of its marvels, I have even received a letter from there, addressed to me personally with a very polite invitation. It even contained pictures. It took me a moment to figure out it was actually an advertisement."

Now Robert chuckled as well. The never-resting tourism department of Malicorn certainly didn't waste any time in acquiring new customers. He wondered whether the demon empress herself had received a similar letter. He wouldn't be surprised if she had.

"So is it really as nice as it looks?" Lady Car asked curiously. "The letter assured me that my kind would be as welcome as any other race."

On any other planet, Robert would have had his doubts. Demons were still viewed with suspicion and fear in the Empire. But Malicorn was famous for catering to everyone. "I can honestly say that, yes, it really actually is a wonderful place to spend your holidays. And if they say you are welcome they really mean it."

Lady Car weighed her huge head in thought. "I have to admit that I would like trying out this 'holiday' concept of your people. But the fact that St. Cornelius, your living saint and champion dwells on Malicorn as well gives me pause."

"As long as you abide by the laws of the Church and the Empire you have nothing to fear." Robert tried to reassure her.

"I will take it into consideration." Lady Car glanced out of the limousine window. "And here we are."

The glider landed without so much as a bump. The door was opened and Robert was overwhelmed with the sudden noise of hundreds of people shouting and talking. Lady Car stepped out first and for a moment, there was a decrease in volume only to resume much louder immediately. They were at the red carpet leading up to the opera and tonight, there were plenty of common people around it, hoping to catch a glance of some celebrity, as well as reporters from all over Aylian and a few even from off-planet.

Robert took a deep breath to calm himself. This would put him into the spotlight more than he had ever been in his whole life. But he could do this. Then he emerged from the limousine, kind smile firmly in place.

For a moment he was blinded by the flashlights of cameras and was grateful when Lady Car once more offered her arm. Together, they made their way across the carpet, smiling for the cameras, when Robert was startled to hear one of the reports call his name.

"Master Robert! Master Robert, please! A short interview?"

Robert was tempted to just walk by and pretend he hadn't heard. After all, he really had no clue what was safe to say. But Thomar always made a point of talking to the commoner press and being accessible to his subjects. And Robert was here to represent him. So he stepped to the edge of the red carpet with Lady Car to the excited reporter girl, who was waving her notepad about as if she couldn't believe he was actually agreeing to talk to her.

She looked rather adorable, really, with her hair tied back into a ponytail which was coming apart in loose strands due to her bouncing. Her eyes were shining with such genuine happiness at his attention that he suddenly didn't feel all that nervous anymore.

"Thank you so much!" she greeted him. "Just a few questions, I promise!"

Robert smiled at her indulgently, one of those expressions he had adopted from his master's repertoire. "Sure."

"You are here with the benevolent Lady Car," She reporter girl started, making the huge demon rumble in approval at the title, "where is our esteemed duke tonight?"

Robert considered coming up with some white lie about the Duke being busy, but then he decided to stick with the truth, like Thomar always tried to do. "If some Youh'Kai rock band was playing here tonight he would absolutely have come," he explained, "but I'm afraid the finer arts of classical music aren't really his favourite. So he has allowed me to come in his stead. I love the opera."

Which was entirely true. It was also true that this would be his very first visit to an opera where he wouldn't be kneeling on the floor next to a master, but would have an unobstructed view of the stage from the ducal box, no less.

"Oh, does this mean we might see him attend a rock concert at some point?" The reporter girl asked her next question, sounding like she was quite amazed and happy at the idea. Maybe the fact that she looked like she was barely out of her teens herself and probably favoured that kind of music herself played a role in it.

"That might actually happen," Robert answered with a smirk, "but I am sure he would do so incognito to truly enjoy the event so you would probably only learn about it after the fact."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea!" The reporter girl nodded enthusiastically. "So what are you wearing for tonight's occasion?"

Of course she would ask that. After all it was what all the celebrities were asked at red carpets. Only Robert had never expected to be one of them. The question sent him reeling for a moment before he remembered that he actually had a very good answer for it.

"The coat was created by a small designer based right here in the capital." He explained. "Mr. Ghoudien designs most of my coats. He should really get more recognition for the wonderful work he does."

The reporter girl furiously scribbled down the name and then back-checked with Robert whether she had gotten it right.

"What do you think of the choice to let Miss Tanja Wilcox sing the princess tonight?" she asked next. "There was quite some controversy about that."

The papers had been full with various articles, arguing whether it had been talent which had given her the spotlight or the fact that Miss Wilcox was also the producer's girl friend.

"I'm afraid I am only an amateur admirer of the arts and hardly qualified to judge in this matter." Robert replied politely.

The reporter girl grinned, apparently approving of his careful answer. "One last question," she said next, "can we hope to see you appear on public events more often in the future?"

Robert smiled at her. "That is entirely the decision of my master," he answered, "but one can always hope."

"Well, I certainly do hope!" She grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you so much for your time, Master Robert. Can we take a picture of you and the Lady Car?" She gestured to her assistant wielding the camera next to her.

"Of course." 

Robert and Lady Car posed for a few photos. Then they continued over the red carpet towards the entrance. Once they had passed through, the noise level dropped dramatically, now reduced to the murmur of many conversations. The foyer was filling with people quite quickly as more guests arrived.

"That was most interesting." Lady Car told Robert while they drifted towards a waiter holding a tray with Champaign glasses. "I think I just learned quite a lot about how to give interviews."

Robert didn't by far consider himself an expert, but for the first interview he had ever given he thought that had gone fairly well.

"The key seems to be to not give any actual solid answers." Lady Car mused, while she delicately picked up one of the fragile Champaign flutes.

"It depends on whether you want to get information across or just need to appear polite." Robert explained.

Lady Car nodded. "I shall keep that in mind." She smiled and Robert heard several faint gasps of horror from other guests somewhere behind him. "Once more your example is proving most educational."

Robert laughed, both amused at how easily other humans were scared of a perfectly well mannered demon and at how much he had adapted. "You flatter me, Milady." He told Lady Car with a little bow.

Together they studied the other guests in attendance. There were many nobles, but also quite a number of wealthy commoners. People were exchanging polite conversation, vying for the attention of whoever they considered important. Little clusters were constantly forming and reforming like in an intricate dance.

For a while Lady Car's impressive presence discouraged anyone from approaching them, but Robert noticed that quite a few people were circling them like sharks, trying to find an angle or reason to talk to them. He wasn't entirely sure who they were aiming for, him or Lady Car herself.

He was still far from getting used to various nobles or commoners looking for opportunities to talk to him, trying to present their grievances or projects in the hope that he could be swayed to gain them favour with the Duke. Especially the presents never failed to fluster him and always delighted T'lark to no end. 

However, some of the causes he was asked to support were actually worthwhile and it was a wonderful feeling when he told Thomar about those and his master listened carefully, taking his thoughts seriously and sometimes granted his approval or patronage.

Finally, one of the circling sharks took heart and did cheerfully greet Robert as if they were old friends. Robert quickly figured out that he really wanted to gain favour with Lady Car, but didn't mind being used as an introduction. After that, others dared to join into their little group. Everyone was exceptionally polite and the conversation was kept to a light, meaningless level. Robert wondered with silent amusement who they were more afraid of, Lady Car or the Duke.

Then a soft chime alerted the guests that the show itself would soon start. Lady Car and Robert made their way to the private box which had been reserved for the Duke, should he ever wish to see a show. 

The designers had done a wonderful job on the auditorium, Robert thought. It was a beautiful mix of classic wine red velvet, chandeliers, polished dark woods and brass and more modern elements of glass. 

More refreshments were waiting for them in the box. They both settled in their seats, Lady Car taking some time to arrange her wings and tail comfortably. Robert thought it was kind of adorable how much care she took not to leave any scratch marks in the precious wooden floor.

Then another chime sounded and the chandeliers dimmed. The opera played tonight was a classic, written centuries ago by the incomparable Rodrigo T. whose true identity had been lost in the Fall. Nowadays the Castella claimed him as one of their House, even though they generally frowned on any kind of artistic occupation. It was a story of hopeless love, despair and in the end everyone was dead in a most dramatic and pleasantly sad way.

The moment when the music started up and the curtain lifted was simply beautiful and after that Robert lost himself in the performance. He did find himself agreeing that Miss Wilcox' voice wasn't quite up to the complex harmonies required of the princess' part, but the tenor singing the thief was divine and good looking too.

When they died in each other's arms and the High Priest mourned their fate while recounting once more what had led up to the tragedy, Robert had to wipe a few tears from his eyes.

Lady Car's reaction wasn't quite as emotional, but she clearly was deeply impressed herself.

Back in the foyer, the guests met again to chat some more and of course discuss the performance with more Champaign. There would be various after show parties, but Lady Car had informed Robert beforehand that she did not intend to attend any and that suited Robert just fine. He really didn't feel any need to overextend his first solo social outing.

They stayed a little longer until the crowd started to disperse. Then they left the opera with Robert feeling a little giddy and tipsy with all the Champaign, wonderful music and attention heaped on him. He felt like a proper princess being dropped after a date, when the limousine glider came to a stop in the courtyard of the ducal fortress again.

"So what did you think of the music?" he asked T'lark as they made their way back to the Duke's quarters.

"I guess it was fine," T'lark answered, "though I didn't understand a word of what they were singing with all the howling."

Robert chuckled. "Well, it's not like the story was so hard to follow."

"Ugh, don't get me started on that!" T'lark grimaced. "I mean, really, how stupid can you be? Why didn't he just pack her up and run away?"

"Because then the opera would have been over after ten minutes?" Robert sighed. This was the same problem T'lark had with Robert's romance novels. He just couldn't overlook the fact that some stupidity on the part of the main characters was necessary to build up drama.

"I'm sorry," T'lark shrugged a little sheepishly, "I'm afraid I still prefer a good old-fashioned action movie."

"Because that has a much more believable plot, of course." Robert teased him with a smirk.

The light punch to his shoulder didn't come as a surprise, but Robert lacked the will to dodge it.

"Sir Rage being eaten by yet another monster and shooting his way free out of its belly is entirely believable!" T'lark defended his favourite movie line.

"Uhum." Robert just kept smirking and T'lark huffed in mock indignation. "I can't believe they keep making movies about him even though he's been in retirement for over 20 years now." Robert kept needling his friend. "Is he even still alive?"

"Of course he is still alive!" T'lark growled, offended. "He still kicks ass, I bet!"

Now Robert laughed out loud. "Okay, okay... I get it. Don't insult the hero." He said and raised his hands in a pacifying gesture.

T'lark joined in his laughter. "Go get yourself fucked silly already!" He ordered and pushed Robert towards the door leading inside the ducal suite. "You clearly need it."

Robert entered quietly on the off chance that his master was already asleep. The bedroom was dark, so he slipped out of his shoes and coat and padded over to the bed as silently as he could. His eyes needed a moment to adjust to the murky darkness, but then he was able to make out Thomar's lean body stretched out on the bed, his chest rising and falling with the even breath of sleep. His thin blanket had slipped off mostly, and revealed lots of things Robert craved.

With a soundless happy sigh Robert mused that he probably had the most beautiful, sexy, dangerous master in the whole Empire.

"Are you going to stand there all night or do you plan to eventually join me?" Thomar's deeply bemused voice interrupted his thoughts.

Of course his master wasn't asleep. Robert really should have known that it was impossible to sneak up on him. Not that he minded, it increased his chances to get 'fucked silly' a lot. He now noticed that Thomar was watching him through eyes barely open and that the smile playing around his lips wasn't quite as dreamy as Robert had first thought.

"As my master commands." Robert answered and quickly peeled out of the rest of his fine clothes.

He had barely crawled into bed when Thomar already twisted with all his combat trained agility and moments later Robert found himself on his back, wrists firmly pressed above his head in his master's grip, with Thomar straddling him and grinning down at him with predatory hunger.

"How was your evening?" Thomar asked in a lazy conversational tone that did not match with his tense thighs holding Robert immobile at all.

"Lonely." Robert gasped and tried to rub himself against his master. He was growing hard frighteningly quickly for a man of his age.

Thomar swooped down and kissed him, hard and demanding and Robert yielded to him immediately, opening his mouth to let it be plundered. Thomar never failed to take his breathe away in every possible way.

When he was released again, Robert whimpered unhappily and tried to recapture the retreating mouth of his master. 

Thomar laughed and then licked his lips. "Mmh... Champaign. And good one at that." He commented. Then he smirked down at his needy pet. "And what it is you crave now, my sweet pet?"

"Fuck me?" Robert pleaded huskily, "Please?"

Thomar leaned down again to lick along Robert's throat, who moaned happily.

"How could I resist such pretty begging." Thomar whispered in Robert's ear. "Don't move!" he ordered when he let go of Robert's wrist.

The urge to wrap his arms around his master and drag him down and close was overwhelming, but somehow Robert managed to resist and just shift restlessly, while Thomar reached over to the nightstand to retrieve the lube. Moments later, he scooted down to kneel between Robert's legs. He didn't lose any time and Robert groaned in pleasure as slippery fingers entered him roughly. He really didn't want or need lengthy foreplay or preparation, he wanted to be fucked hard and fast.

He bucked up against Thomar's fingers, begging for more with moans and plain body language. Still his merciless master took his time, playing with him.

"Thomar! Please!" Robert finally hissed, unable to wait any longer.

Once more his lover laughed, but then Robert felt his fingers withdraw, replaced with hard cock shoving into him in one long hard thrust. Thomar now had a firm grip on Robert's hips and started fucking him just like Robert needed. In long, hard strokes, giving him almost the entire length of his cock each time.

Robert didn't bother trying to stay quiet. He moaned and keened and growled like the mood took him, meeting each thrust of his master with one of his own.

It couldn't last long, of course. Robert would have preferred an eternity of fucking, but soon he felt himself coil up like a spring, ready to come.

He didn't bother asking for permission either. Those days were far behind him. He shouted his release as he came, feeling Thomar's finger dig bruises into his hips as he followed his pet.

Now he did wrap his arms around Thomar, as his lover collapsed on top of him. They were both panting.

"Damn!" Thomar finally murmured. "Remind me to send you to that blasted opera more often."

Robert kissed his master's neck. "Gladly." He whispered, blissfully happy.


	15. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has had a great many owners before Thomar, still he never expected his past to have such unexpected and permanent consequences.

"What the fuck is THAT?!" The Duke of Aylian exclaimed.

He startled Robert, T'lark and Alain who were comfortably parked on the huge, new couch in front of the equally huge new trideo set. Both had been a bribe to Robert to make him talk to the Duke on behalf of a slimy little man who desperately wanted to get a licence to export high tech entertainment equipment to the demon empire. Robert had made a half hearted attempt. He didn't care about the man's business, but the couch and trideo were really nice and filled a spot in the ducal quarters which had stood empty and unused for far too long. 

Almost three years after the demon invasion the suite of rooms occupied by the Duke were slowly starting to look their part again in splendour and comfort.

Thomar had dismissed the man's petition without another look. That had been nearly a week ago, though, so the couch and trideo couldn't be 'that'.

That only left the current program playing as a possible source of the Duke's shock. Which, Robert mused, was understandable.

Cheerfully bubbly pop music was blaring from the speakers and the holo projection showed the four teenagers which made up the band marching to the beat, singing and smiling and waving.

"That is T'lark's payback for me dragging him off to the opera." Robert explained, looking over the backrest of the couch at his master, who was standing in the doorway with an expression of mixed shock and revulsion on his face. "He insists that now I have to listen to his favourite music."

Thomar stepped closer slowly, as if he was approaching a dangerous beast. Alain greeted him with a small, friendly yelp and then pressed close against Robert, mindful of the fact that usually he was sent back into the amulet when Robert's master was present. But for once Thomar ignored the young hellhound, intent on the trideo.

"Are they wearing tiny Dracon uniforms?" Thomar asked, disbelieving.

Robert turned back to the trideo as well. The four teenage band members were indeed wearing some sort of very short uniform. Tiny short and skirts and shirts and laced up boots with lots and lots of glitter.

"I'm pretty sure Dracon uniforms are not light blue and pink." Robert pointed out helpfully.

Thomar blinked owlishly and rubbed his nose, still staring at the marching, singing images. "But the cut is…" He started and then forcefully turned away and instead glared at T'lark. "I object to your torturing my pet." He stated.

T'lark grinned insolently. "I think he likes it."

Robert whacked him with a practice acquired by constant use. He smiled up at his concerned master. "I can assure you I don't like this… this… bubblegum… bubbly… glitter…" He turned back to T'lark. "What are they called again?"

"Glitter Squad." T'lark supplied.

The Duke of Aylian grunted in undisguised disgust. He shared neither T'lark's nor Robert's taste in music. Heavy, dark Youh'Kai rock with plenty of drums, a singer who would peel your soul raw with his range of vocals and emotional lyrics and a volume that was likely to leave you deaf for a few hours - that was what he listened to.

Robert and T'lark were actively conspiring to get one of Thomar's favourite bands to play a concert on Aylian, but so far they hadn't succeeded.

"Glitter Squad…" Thomar repeated with a slight shudder.

"Fitting name." Robert said with a shrug, eyeing his master curiously. "You only left about two hours ago. Is something wrong?"

Thomar did sometimes skip or shorten his afternoon appointments, but in the morning he was always working. For him to show up so suddenly at this time of day was quite unusual. Now the young Duke shook himself like emerging from a bad dream.

"Ah yes, nothing wrong I think." He studied Robert thoughtfully for a moment. "Does the name Mojav ring any bell with you?"

Robert knew well that his master wouldn't ask if he didn't believe he should know the name, so he carefully took stock of the many people he had met and been owned by in his long pet career. Still he came up blank apart from a nagging feeling that he had heard that name somewhere before. But he was sure he had never personally met anyone of the name.

"I don't think I know any Mojav." He answered truthfully.

"Mojav as in 'Mojav Shipyards'?" T'lark asked.

Now Robert recognized the name as well. The 'Mojav Shipyards' were one of the biggest of their kind. Based in orbit above Guild Central, they build everything from luxury space yachts over heavy freighter ships to war cruisers. They were owned by Antonio Mojav, one of the richest commoners of the empire. It was rumoured that even the Emperor was so deeply in debt with him that he occasionally caved in to Mojav's demands.

"The same." Thomar nodded, still looking at Robert expectantly.

Robert shook his head. "Never had any sort of contact with the company or the owner. I'm sure."

"Weird." 

With a little sigh Thomar settled on the huge couch next to Robert, generously ignoring Alain who tried to make himself as small as possible for a hellhound who was quickly growing out of his puppy size. When he was fully grown, he would reach a shoulder height near to Robert's. He was about halfway there.

"Antonio Mojav contacted me a few weeks ago with a very generous offer to buy you." Thomar explained.

Robert blinked at him in consternation. There would have been a time when he would have been afraid to be sold, but that was long past. Now he was just puzzled why someone like Mojav could possibly want an aging pet like him.

Thomar leaned closer to Robert and sneaked an arm around him, drawing him close. "I politely refused." He continued. "Couple of days later he sent another offer, tripling his first one."

Robert couldn't suppress a disbelieving: "Huh?!"

"Yeah." Thomar snorted in derision. "I told him to fuck off quite explicitly." His fingers found their way under Robert shirt to run up and down his back in a gesture of pure possessiveness. "Today another offer arrived. He wants to give me a 49% share in his company for you."

"Holy shit!" T'lark swore loudly while Robert stared at his master in mute shock.

It was an insane offer. It was so insane that suddenly Robert wasn't so sure anymore that his master would refuse it. Aylian was still rebuilding from the demon invasion and despite the generous reparations the demon empress had paid, the planet could always use more funds. Even though Thomar often claimed otherwise, he deeply cared about the planet he ruled and did everything in his power to make it a place worth living in.

His thoughts must have been evident on Robert's face for suddenly Thomar's hand firmly grabbed him in the neck and turned him to face his master. He wasn't quite able to read the emotions in Thomar's eyes, but his words were plain.

"There is nothing anyone could offer me that I would give you up for." The Duke of Aylian growled softly.

It sparked hot excitement running through Robert's blood, making him hard almost instantly. Thomar so blatantly owning him never failed to reduce him to whimpering need.

"What I want to know is why that guy is willing to give away half his fortune for you." Thomar continued, sounding rather un-amused. "Unlike me he shouldn't be madly in love with you."

Only now did Robert realize that the expression on his master's face was intense jealousy. It intensified his pleasure and he could resist following that insistent grip on his neck and leaning forward to nuzzle Thomar's jaw.

"I have no idea," he purred, "but you are really hot when you get jealous."

A choked laugh came from T'lark's direction. 

Thomar opened his mouth for some annoyed comment, but was cut short by the 'Glitter Squad' launching into a new song, complete with trumpets and omphing drumbeat. Robert caught his master's hand going for his blaster while T'lark quickly switched off the trideo.

"Please don't shoot the valuable tech stuff." Robert pleaded.

Thomar snarled some unintelligible Youh'Kai curse, but then relaxed against Robert. "It makes me nervous." He muttered unhappily. "If he is willing to spend that much money on you who knows what else he will resort to when I refuse." He turned to T'lark. "I want Robert guarded at all times. When he leaves the palace, I want a full squad of my bodyguards with him. Do not let him out of your sight!"

"Aye, boss!" T'lark agreed, for once entirely serious.

The thought that someone might kidnap him felt even more surreal than someone offering absurd amounts of credits for him. Robert simply couldn't think of any reason why Mojav would want him so badly.

Thomar used his distraction to kiss him soundly. "Don't worry. I have some people doing checks on Mojav. I will find out what he wants with you."

Robert nodded silently. He trusted his master to take care of him and protect him, but a feeling of unease remained.

\---

Robert hurried through the corridors of the ducal fortress, feeling harried and nervous.

'Mojav is here, come to my office.' 

That had been the message from the Duke, delivered by a servant a few minutes ago.

Robert still could think of no reason why the man might want him so badly. And despite Thomar's reassurances, some small panicked voice inside his head insisted that his master would simply hand him over as soon as he reached the office. The various reasonable parts of his mind were chasing that shrill voice around his head, trying to squash it, but so far it kept on screeching.

When he reached the door guarded by two of Thomar's Youh'Kai, he suddenly felt it was much too quickly. Like he couldn't face whatever would happen next. But he didn't get to decide as one of the guards already opened the door to the ducal office rooms for him, accompanied by a friendly nod.

He took a deep breath, drew himself up straighter and walked inside, trying to project that amazing aura of owning the place that came so naturally to his master.

The secretary in the antechamber waved him right through as well, and moments later Robert entered what Thomar called the inner sanctum of his administration. After the demon invasion, these rooms had been some of the first to get refurnished. Heavy, polished wooden desk, chairs and filing cabinets lend an air of importance and made the place look like it was actually worked in. Which it was, considering how much time Robert's master spent there, buried in reports, accounts and all other kinds of paperwork humanity had invented.

The Duke was sitting behind his desk, his visitor had been sitting in one of the guest chairs, but got up immediately when Robert came in.

Robert wasn't quite sure what kind of menace he had expected Mojav to be, but certainly not this rather ordinary guy. He looked about Robert's age, with a plain face, showing the first age lines, his dark brown hair had a conservative short business cut, he wore an equally conservative suit, only the high quality of the fabrics showing off his wealth.

The only really remarkable thing about his was the anxious expression in his face which turned to slightly slack jawed wonder when he faced Robert.

"Oh my god." Mojav whispered. "It really is him."

Feeling rather threatened by the man's intense stare, Robert looked to his master for an explanation and found Thomar showing a peculiar mix of annoyance and amusement.

Mojav stepped towards Robert almost like sleepwalking, raising a hand to touch him. But before he could do so he was intercepted by T'lark, who had entered the room after his charge. The Youh'Kai's hand firmly gripped the wrist of Mojav, while he bodily interposed himself between the man and Robert.

"No touching of the Duke's pet!" The alien ordered coldly and Robert could have kissed him for simply being there.

"Of… of course." The man stammered and took a step back, visibly trying to regain his composure.

Again Robert looked to Thomar for hints on what this was all about.

"Mr. Mojav here has made the trip from Guild Central to our little planet solely to plead his case in person." The Duke explained. "Which does not change my decision at all." He turned to Mojav. "You can not have my pet. Period."

Mojav's mouth worked silently.

"You may, however, tell him your story and then he can decide whether he wishes to help you with your problem." Thomar added.

For a moment Mojav looked taken aback by the idea of explaining himself to a slave, but then he apparently swallowed his pride and put on a pleasant, polite smile for Robert's benefit. Whatever he wanted, it obviously was very important to him. A typical commoner business man, he didn't lose any time with small talk anymore, but started talking, slowly pacing the confines of the ducal office.

"Three years ago, a business associate of mine got it into his head that I needed to relax more often instead of working all the time. So he bought me a highly trained pleasure pet. Initially, I only kept Maria not to annoy my business partner, but somehow she managed to warm my heart. Each evening I was looking more forward to coming home to her. She made me enjoy all the amenities my wealth affords, she made me laugh, she showed me how to be happy. I fell in love with her, not in the way a master should love his pretty pet, but that terribly heart rending love that can only be satisfied with true commitment."

For a moment Mojav fell silent, staring off into a distance, apparently lost in thought of this girl. It was odd to hear such poetic words from such a plain, boring looking man, but Robert didn't doubt his sincerity.

"I asked her to marry me," Mojav continued, "and she smiled at me and kissed me and agreed. I can't describe how happy we were. We lived in heaven together. We thought nothing could possibly be better. Then Maria got pregnant and we learned that life could indeed hold even more happiness. She was so beautiful. Radiant with joy."

On the last words Mojav's voice hitched and he stopped, rubbing at his eyes. When he spoke again Robert realized, why.

"Then our happiness was shattered. Maria got caught in a democrat terrorist attack. They targeted a high class shopping mall. She just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The poison gas they used didn't kill instantly, but very painfully. It did however prevent the security forces from getting in quickly. By the time my people got to Maria it was too late for her. However the baby was still - barely - alive. She was rushed to the very best clinic. The doctors had more devastating news for me when I arrived there. The poison gas had attacked my baby's genetic structure. Only with samples from both parents would they be able to rebuild and there was nothing left in my beautiful Maria they could use. Our baby was doomed as well."

Robert tried to imagine what the man must have gone through. He tried to compare it to losing Thomar, but that didn't hold the added horror of losing an unborn child as well.

"I ordered them to extract the foetus and put it in cryo-stasis to give us more time to find a solution." Mojav continued. "The only other source of Maria's genetic pattern would be her parents, so I set out to find out where she came from. My people discovered that she had been born in a breeding facility on Tosca, which had gone bankrupt a few years prior."

It felt like the floor was suddenly dropping away under Robert as he realized where this story was going and why Mojav wanted him so badly.

"We did, however, manage to obtain their medical records and were able to determine who her parents were. Her mother had died at the facility, giving birth. Her father had been sold on more than two decades ago. It took my people nearly three months to track him down through all the various owners he had been with in those years and I despaired about ever finding him alive."

Mojav turned to Robert, his eyes wet with unshed tears, a desperate smile clinging to his lips. "But we did find him at last." He concluded. "I… my baby… your granddaughter needs your help." He pleaded.

Robert searched for something to say, but came up blank. His memories of the breeding facility were hazy at best. It was the place he had been sold to by Alain's newly wedded wife. Far away, never to return. He had been so miserable he hadn't paid attention to anything. Of course he must have fathered quite a few children in the few months he had spent there, but he couldn't remember a single face or clear incident.

He had never thought back to that time. Never considered that somewhere out there were children who were his sons or daughters. It was a scary thought, one he didn't know how to deal with. And like always when he didn't know what to do, he turned to his lover for aid, only to find Thomar had already risen from his place behind the desk and was now next to him, gently laying his hand on Robert's arm.

"Come, sit love." Thomar coaxed him and then turned to T'lark. "Get him a drink!"

Granddaughter. The word rang in his ears like a funeral bell. Was he really THAT old already? Old, white haired men with silly smiles playing with their grandchildren in the park came to mind. Pets didn't have grandchildren. Pets didn't even have children. It was so overwhelming he saw bright spots dancing in his vision.

"Here, drink this!" His master's voice commanded firmly and a glass was pressed into his hands.

The liquid ran down his throat with the unmistakable burn of some Youh'Kai schnapps, it landed in his stomach like a napalm bomb, making him gasp and his eyes water.

The world around him sharply snapped back into focus.

"What… what would I have to do…?" he asked, looking at Mojav.

Hope ignited in the man's eyes. "You would have to come to Guild Central with me so my doctors can make a scan of your genetic pattern." His smile turned positively glowing, but Robert easily recognized it as a good salesman's pitching his wares. "The process is entirely painless. I've already had it done for my side of the pattern. It just takes a few days."

Just a few days separate from his master to save an innocent child's life. As long as he didn't think about her as his granddaughter the decision became much easier. Of course he would help.

"I guess, I could…" Robert began, but was immediately cut off by his master.

"No." The Duke of Aylian said calmly.

"No?" Robert could clearly see how Mojav's hopes shattered. "But… but you said… you said, if he agreed to help…"

Thomar shook his head. "I didn't say you could take him with you. He will not leave my side." 

There was a glint in Thomar's eyes which Robert recognized as his master hatching some clever plan. He wisely kept his mouth shut.

"I will however permit these genetic scans to be performed here on Aylian, where he is safe with me." Thomar smiled benevolently.

Mojav's eyes went wide with dismay. "But… your highness… there are no medical facilities advanced enough to perform such medical procedures."

"Hm…" Thomar thoughtfully tapped his chin. "I guess, then you will have to provide them, won't you? You will commission a hospital to be build here in Aylian's capital. Considering you were willing to give me 49% of your company that shouldn't be too much to ask for. I'm sure the people of Aylian will be forever grateful for your generous donation. We'll call it the Mojav Clinic."

Robert couldn't help but feel awe at his master's ability to wring a benefit for his planet out of the most unlikely circumstances.

Mojav wasn't as thrilled by far, but after a moment's consideration he nodded his grudging assent to the Duke's demand. "I trust you will provide the real estate this hospital is to be built upon?" he asked.

"I will." Thomar nodded. "My chief city planner will get together with your people so we can get this started as quickly as possible."

"Thank you, your highness." Mojav bowed to the Duke and then turned to Robert again. "Thank you. Your granddaughter will know who saved her life."

\---

Three months later, Robert stepped out of a posh, new examination room at the equally posh, new Mojav Clinic in Aylian's capital.

After Mojav had decided he would pay with that hospital, he didn't spare any expenses. Everything was state of the art and Robert was sure it had been one of the fastest building projects of such a scale that had been undertaken in recent Empire history.

Three months ago the place where the hospital now stood had been nothing but an uneven field of rubble, where the demon invasion had devastated half a city block of commoner housing. Now clean, white buildings rose elegantly and the landscapers were putting the finishing touches to the park surrounding the hospital. It was all quite beautiful.

Outside the examination room, Thomar was waiting for him, like he had done every day of the last week while Robert had the genetic scans taken. Today the doctors had finished with the procedure. Mojav had been right; the most unpleasant part of the scans had been lying still for a long period of time. Boring, but no more than that.

Thomar looked up from the file he had been reading and smiled at Robert. "All done?" he asked.

Robert nodded. "Yes, that was the last session. The doctors are doing a last check of their data and then they will head back to Guild Central to begin the treatment of… uh…"

"Still can't bring yourself to say it?" Thomar asked with a smirk. "Your granddaughter."

Robert frowned at him in silence. His master's teasing was calm and gentle. T'lark had been a lot less merciful and taken to calling him 'gramps' whenever he though Robert was acting too boring or old fashioned.

Together they made their way down the corridor towards the elevators that would take them to the ground level of the clinic.

"I have been thinking," Thomar said, when they were waiting for the elevator to arrive, "about your other potential children. Do you want me to find out more about them? Who and where they are?"

The suggestion made Robert shudder. Maybe it would have been a natural reaction to care for his children, but if he was completely honest with himself all he felt was vaguely threatened. They would be older than Thomar. That would just be impossibly inappropriate and awkward. 

"Not really." He answered cautiously, trying to gauge his master's level of interest in the matter.

Now it was Thomar's turn to frown. "Love, I'd do this as a favour to you. Not for myself. It's entirely up to you."

Of course he wouldn't have any interest other than being the caring lover he always was, Robert chided himself. This was Thomar after all.

"I'd rather not know." Robert said softly, shifting closer to Thomar, "If I knew I'd feel obliged to care and I don't want to. I want things to stay as they are."

Thomar smiled and kissed him gently. "As you wish, love. But if you ever change your mind, remember the option is there."

"Hmhm." Robert opted for a none-committal sound.

Children. What an entirely terrifying thought. It would be hard enough when Thomar eventually got married and produced an heir to relate to that child. He really didn't need a whole horde of them in their early twenties under foot.


	16. The Last Step

With a slightly exasperated sigh Robert settled deeper into the lush pillows which littered the huge couch and picked a bacon cracker from the bowl precariously balancing on another pillow.

Maybe he would have been better off going with Thomar after all.

Months of careful machinations, several favours called in and some charming and bribing had finally yielded the desired results: one of Thomar's favourite Youh'Kai bands was giving several concerts in Aylian's capital. 

Their live shows were quite legendary, filled with deafening volumes of sound and pyrokinetics. The two drummers were known to engage in on stage battles of who could beat the fastest, most insane rhythms and the singer was a feral beauty with a voice that could shatter glass and split ears. The only female Robert had ever seen his master swoon about.

And their tour was right in time for the Duke's birthday.

And since it was also one of F'leer's favourite bands, T'lark had helped Robert in talking the Captain of the Duke's bodyguards into letting Thomar go incognito with only F'leer accompanying him.

It was Robert's birthday gift for his lover and to see Thomar bounce around their suite like a little kid, hooting with joy had been worth all the trouble tenfold.

So tonight Thomar and F'leer had put on civilian clothes and sneaked out of the palace. Of course not via the secret passage which Thomar still kept unknown to anyone but himself and Robert. After all, he still wanted to keep the option to escape F'leer care easily when he chose to do so.

Thomar had tried hard to convince Robert to come with them, but the angry noise produced by the band his master so cherished was really not something Robert wished to be subjected to at the volume which would doubtlessly be presented at the concert.

Robert had told his master to have fun and that he would be waiting for him when he got back; just like Thomar had told him a few months earlier when Robert had gone to the opera for the first time.

He and T'lark had decided on a nice, cosy trideo evening. At least Robert had thought it would be nice and cosy until T'lark broke out his Sir Rage collection. They were really not Robert's favourite kind of movies, but he didn't have the heart to tell T'lark no when his Youh'Kai friend reverentially unpacked his treasure.

Apparently, he had invested quite some credits in it. It was a collector's edition, all 46 movies packed into a box styled like a small munitions chest with the famous, huge plasma assault rifle which Sir Rage had wielded in his active duty time embossed on the lid of the chest. It even came with a booklet offering a collection of all Quest Log articles ever written about Sir Rage and two extra data chips with outtakes, commentary and an extensive interview with Sir Rage himself.

It made Robert wonder if maybe he should check whether there were equally well made collectors editions of his favourite movie series available. Though those would probably come in a chest covered in pink fur or ruffles which might be a tad embarrassing.

After lengthy and careful consideration, T'lark had picked "Sir Rage vs. the Thunderworms of Kismet" as their first movie of the evening. That at least gave Robert a clue on what kind of beasts Sir Rage would turn into a bloody mush in the course of the movie.

The unmistakable anthem of Sir Rage was starting to blare from the speakers of the trideo set, accompanied by various scenes from previous Sir Rage movies. Mostly kill shots of the moments when Sir Rage triumphed over the respective monster of the movie.

T'lark settled on the couch as well and grabbed a handful of bacon crackers. "Aren't you going to let Alain out?" he asked.

While the young hellhound was confined to the magic amulet that served as his kennel when the Duke was around, Robert tried to let him out as much as possible when his master wasn't present. Especially when he and T'lark were killing time watching trideo.

"Oh, of course." Robert said and fished for the amulet under his shirt which was a little hampered by his bacon cracker greased fingers.

He was just about to release his darling when he was suddenly engulfed in a bright, green flash of light. There was no pain, just the feeling of all his limbs going numb. He slumped forward helplessly. Even though the angle was awkward, he could glimpse from the corner of his eyes that T'lark was suffering a similar fate.

A powerful stun beam, he realized, that's what the light must have been.

Panic clenched his heart. Someone was attacking them and he had no idea who or why or how and no way of fighting back. No way to warn Thomar who might be walking into a trap when he came back home.

"Remove everything they are wearing!" a deep, male voice he didn't recognize ordered. "And scan them for anything that might be tracking device!"

"Are we taking the Youh'Kai too?" another male voice asked.

"Yes, killing him would leave evidence. We can still dispose of him later if she doesn't want him." The first voice replied.

She? Robert's thoughts were racing in circles. There had to be something he could do. Something, anything!

He was pulled upright by hands he couldn't feel and finally got a look at the attackers. Four men in his field of vision, wearing high-tech armour and weapons without any insignia showing who they worked for. They looked professional, disciplined.

"Hey, he's still awake." The one who was holding him said.

"Step aside!" the one with the deep voice ordered.

With hopeless despair, Robert watched as the man raised his stun gun again. Then there was another flash of green light and oblivion.

\---

"I'm feeling especially generous today, my dear."

Her voice was right next to Robert's ear, caressing his skin with her warm breath, making him shudder and whimper with desire and revulsion in equal measures. 

It was the cocktail of drugs running through his body hot and demanding, he tried to tell himself, but he knew that wasn't entirely true. He craved this, some part of him willingly submitted to her, to being so entirely and completely owned.

"I will give you a choice now." She continued. "A very generous choice."

Her hands were pleasantly warm and gentle on his clammy skin as she turned his head so he looked, where he so very hard tried to never look. To where T'lark was securely chained to the wall of this cosy little high tech dungeon, watching everything she had been doing to him. Listening to him scream and beg and moan with lust and pain. Seeing all the things Robert had never wanted his friend to know about him.

He didn't really look, didn't want to see. It didn't matter whether it would be disgust or pity.

And it would be one of those. At first T'lark had been shouting and threatening, trying to protect Robert when there was really nothing he could do. Then he had started to beg for his friend. It had made everything she did to him even worse. Not just that T'lark would witness it and also see how Robert actually couldn't help but enjoy some of it. No, that his proud friend was reduced to begging stung harder than any blow.

But T'lark had grown quiet and Robert didn't want to know why.

"I have really enjoyed what we've had in the last few days." Her honeyed voice caressed his ear.

So it had been days. To Robert it could have been hours or days or weeks. It had felt like years. About three years lived in reverse. The three years he had lived with Thomar slowly, meticulously chipped away until he again was the mindless, spineless, numb pet that would do anything his master told him, that would do anything to please.

He had been hopeless already when he had woken up from the stunner induced unconsciousness. Hopeless and helpless, bound and stripped of anything that Thomar might have used to find him. Lady Jelena's sneering face the first thing that swam into view.

He had listened with disbelieving hysteria as she launched into a speech befitting one of the villains from his romance novels. He didn't remember all of it, but some of the words were etched into his memory.

"Did you think I would allow you, a pet, to steal what is rightfully mine? Oh, your scheming was clever enough. You thought you could take the title of Duke for yourself, didn't you? You thought you had it all under control. The boy leashed to your will. You thought to rise above your station. Admirable ambition. You might have succeeded, too. But not against me, pet!"

He would have tried to tell her how severely wrong she had gotten all of it, but at that point in time he had been securely gagged. All things considered it was understandable, really. After all he had been becoming more and more visible at Thomar's side.

She wouldn't have believed him that he never wanted to be more than his master's loved pet. She had raved on and on about how audacious it was of him to try and take what should have been hers.

"You thought you had outwitted me, didn't you? But you can't outwit a noble, pet! You can't outwit me! I'm going to take what is mine! Aylian will be mine, yet! Now that your guiding hand is gone, your sweet little boy will be helpless to resist me. Oh, he will be so grateful when I come for him!"

It was small consolation that Thomar would be anything but grateful if she did show up on Aylian again. By that time Robert would not be around anymore to appreciate what kind of revenge his master would extract from Lady Jelena.

"But first, first I will deal with you, pet! You need to be broken, you need to be reminded of your proper place. And I shall take great care of that and of you."

She had done exactly that. Taken him apart piece by piece with pain and pleasure, humiliation and praise. He wasn't sure anymore why he had fought her at all. He was in her power and that made her his mistress. He was a pet and his purpose was to serve whoever owned him. The need to please her had gotten too strong to resist. 

He had even smiled for her.

She was right after all. Being with Thomar made him crave more than he deserved. Being loved was a ridiculous notion for a pet. Adored and cherished maybe, if you were very lucky. But loved? No, such lofty feelings were reserved for free people, real people, people. Not property like he was. Thomar must be wrong to love him.

Just as it was wrong for him to love a master. Maybe his new mistress would be just what he needed. Maybe he was better off owned and commanded and controlled tightly.

"You see, now that you have learned your place again," Lady Jelena's voice once more caressed his ear, "it is time to decide what we will do with your dear friend."

He should have fought her then. But all he felt was numb and empty.

"Since you have been such a good pet, you get to make that decision," she continued, "should I break him as well? I'm sure he'd fetch a nice price, properly broken and trained. Or do you wish to let him go?"

Let him go? Free him? No, that couldn't be the meaning of her words. She would never let T'lark go, he knew too much.

Robert blinked against tears and sweat in his eyes, his mind moving only sluggishly, reluctantly. She kindly saved him from the effort, showing him an elegant blaster gun.

"It's all up to you. Will you have him join you or will you give him a merciful death?"

Now Robert really should have looked at T'lark, should have searched his face for what his friend wanted. Should have despaired over the unreadable alien mask. But still he couldn't bring himself to even glance that way. Instead his eyes were fixed on Lady Jelena's face, on her calm, almost indulgent smile. 

She was a good mistress. Her other pet, the one she had brought to Aylian with her, the one who had fucked Robert raw in the course of the last few days - he loved her. He loved her with the perfect devotion of a perfect pet. She had moulded that slave to her will and she would do the same for him. All the thinking and worrying and regretting would soon come to an end. Robert would serve. 

Unburdened.

The last link to his past, to the strange half creature he had become in Thomar's possession, was T'lark. With him gone Robert could finally fall into oblivion.

"Now, pet, what will it be?" she gently refocused his wandering mind on the blaster before him.

He picked it up with both hands, shaking, his fingers slippery with cold sweat.

He couldn't remember when she had removed his restraints. They were unnecessary, now that he was properly broken.

With kind patience she helped him find a proper grip on the blaster, helped his fingers find the right position, help him lift it. It felt so heavy to him, alien, wrong. A pet should nor hold a weapon.

But her smile encouraged him.

It was terrible and it hurt. It hurt like he was trying to tear his own soul in two. But there really was no choice.

For a moment longer the blaster wavered.

Then he turned it on her, pressed the barrel right against her brow - and fired.

He had been sure she was wearing an energy shield. Any even remotely sane noble wore an energy shield at all times. Especially when handing a potentially hostile slave a blaster gun. 

When Lady Jelena's head exploded in a cloud of plasma fire all Robert felt was stunned shock.

Immediately followed by intense pain. Blaster guns were not meant to be fired at such close range. His hand holding the blaster felt seared and his face singed with the heat of the impact. He dropped the blaster, hissing with pain.

Lady Jelena's body seemed to topple in slow motion, first her knees folded, then she fell to the side.

Her head was gone. Simply completely gone.

A hysterical giggle rose in Robert's throat. That hadn't gone as planned. For neither of them. He had meant it as a last gesture of defiance with the sliver of hope that she would kill him in anger for the audacity.

This - this was just absurd.

"Robert?"

It took a moment for that voice to penetrate the haze of madness that seemed to settle so snugly around Robert's mind. It took even longer for him to recognize it as T'lark's voice, hoarse from shouting, disuse and thirst.

Reluctantly Robert looked up at his friend. T'lark was looking at him with concern, but Robert found neither pity nor disgust,

"Are you all right?" the Youh'Kai asked.

Now that made the hysterical giggle bubble out of him. No, he was not all right. He was about as far from all right as one could possibly get. He pressed both hands over his mouth, wincing from the sharp pain of the plasma burn and using that to try and anchor himself in what passed as reality these days.

Somehow he managed to push himself up from the multifunctional torture chair he had been sitting in. He swayed on his feet. Pain, exhaustion and the drugs she had been feeding him made the room spin lazily around him, but he somehow made his stumbling way over to where T'lark was chained to the wall.

When he arrived he clung to his friend, barely able to remain upright.

"I'm sorry," Robert whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He could practically hear the frown in T'lark's voice. "For what? That you killed the bitch?"

"No… yes… for everything you've seen. That you will die because of me…"

The jumbled mess in his head refused to come together again to some sort of whole. T'lark's dry chuckle didn't help. He really didn't think his friend had anything to laugh about.

"She broke me…" he tried to explain the things T'lark had seen, how he had submitted to her.

"You're not the one who looks broken to me right now." T'lark replied with a meaningful nod towards Lady's Jelena's smouldering corpse.

Robert shuddered and refused to look at the dead countess again. "You don't understand," he tried again, his voice hitching with hysteria, "I would have done anything… she… I…"

T'lark's expression could only be classified as an annoyed pout. "Robert, if I wasn't chained to this fucking wall I'd slap you right now. You just blew her head of, dumbass." He stated calmly. "Khastai herself would be proud of you."

The Youh'Kai goddess of pain was said to have been kidnapped by rival gods, tortured, flayed and then chained to a mountain in a forever burning desert. She had taken all of it with laughter for her enemies. She and her priests were widely regarded as quite insane, but Robert suddenly felt he understood her perfectly well.

He laughed too, now only with a hint of hysteria. What else could he do, really? He was dead anyway. There was no way they would get out of here alive - wherever here was. And even if they miraculously did escape, he had just shot a noble woman. Not even Thomar would be able to save him from being put down for it.

"Would you mind getting me down?" T'lark suggested calmly.

He was right of course. However bad their chances were, they'd improve a lot with the Youh'Kai warrior freed from his chains.

Robert let go his precarious hold on his friend and stumbled back to Lady Jelena's corpse. She had to have some sort of key or control for those shackles. 

His vision was somewhat hazy, bright spots blinking in and out of existence and fuzzy at the edges. He stopped next to the countess' body, staring at her. Without the head only her black, skin tight leather gave any hint on her identity. She really could have been any Dracon. Strange, how quickly the centre of one's attention, the axis one's life revolved around, could be snuffed out like a candle's flame. Such an important woman and she had died just as quickly and easily as a bug, swatted with a rolled up shirt.

Robert giggled at the mental image of a tiny little Lady Jelena bug, scrambling along a wall and then being smeared flat by a good swat.

"Robert, the chains." T'lark's voice reminded him why he had staggered over to her in the first place.

He tried to lean down to search her, but gravity and his sense of balance wouldn't cooperate and he ended up abruptly sitting down next to her corpse.

The smell of burned flesh was quite strong up close. It reminded him of a barbecue party he had attended with someone. Had it been Thomar? No, Thomar wouldn't have let anyone fuck him on that roughly hewn wooden picnic table. He'd had splinters in his back afterwards. Quite unpleasant.

"The chains…" he grumbled, unsure whether T'lark had reminded him again, "yeah, I know… keys…" Moving about had set the cocktail of drugs in his system in motion and he was distantly aware that they were playing havoc with his mind and senses.

Lady's Jelena's tool belt held various items, all of them evoking unpleasant flashes of memory. The remote control Robert had seen her use to control the various restrains in the room wasn't immediately visible, though. With a sound that was supposed to be a weary sigh but came out more as a strange moan, he grabbed and turned her over. There, resting against her shapely ass, was the control he was looking for. His burned hand was no use in fumbling it loose, but he somehow managed left handed.

Such a tiny little shiny thing. It lay sleek and cool in his palm and he let his fingers wander over it idly, caressing, enjoying the texture against his skin.

Once more T'lark interrupted his drifting thoughts. "Robert. Use that thing! Get me down." He commanded firmly.

Firm commands were a good thing. They meant he was safe, didn't they? Now if only he had any clue what the various buttons did. He'd better be careful or he might blow his own head off too. His collar could be rigged with any kind of nasty surprises. He cautiously felt his neck and then nervously patted all over his neck when he found no collar.

The bitch!

She hadn't even given him a collar! He'd never meant anything to her at all!

With sudden, intense hatred came the urge to slap her, but that wasn't really possible with her missing a head. She really was great at being nothing but a pain in the ass. He clumsily shoved her corpse a couple of times to make up for it.

Then he squinted at the controller again. The buttons were actually marked with symbols and he was sure they should have meant something to him too, but he just couldn't quite figure them out. He had finally settled on a button to test when the door to the room swished open to admit Lady Jelena's hulking pet.

"Mistress? Mistress, there are…" he stopped in mid-sentence and stared at the scene before him in horror, his small eyes bulging as the fact penetrated his thick skull. "Mistress…?" he then whispered almost tenderly and Robert felt violently sick with revulsion as a tear streaked down from one eye.

Then Lady Jelena's pet roared in rage and charged towards Robert and T'lark was shouting. Robert watched the oncoming mountain of a man with calm acceptance and blinked in confusion when that unstoppable mass of flesh was violently wrenched to the side by a huge ball of fire, hurtling into through the doorway and at the other pet at top speed.

It was a mess of shouting and screaming and more smell of burning flesh and when Robert finally managed to wrap his mind around what he was seeing he simply refused to believe that he was watching his beloved Alain tear Lady Jelena's pet to pieces.

The sound of running footsteps riveted his attention back to the doorway.

That wasn't really Thomar, standing there and staring at him. His master shouldn't look so haggard with worry and lack of sleep. His lover wasn't even here. There was no way he could have found him.

With a loud 'whuff' the ball of fire evaporated into a huge hellhound puppy and bounded over to Robert, easily toppling him, and happily started licking his face.

"Robert." Thomar whispered, taking a tentative step into the room. Then he noticed the corpse next to Robert and his eyes went wide. "Oh gods… please tell me you didn't…"

\---

"…I don't even know why we are arguing about this. The law is crystal clear. A slave who even attacks a noble is skinned alive and then hung."

"If you so much as touch a hair on his head I will rip your fucking heart out!"

Robert stared at the extremely expensive carpet he was kneeling on with single minded concentration. It was dark red and finely woven. Intricate swirls in a slightly lighter red evoked the impression of low burning flames. It was also immaculately clean.

Just like one would expect from the carpet in the Emperor's private office.

It certainly wasn't a place he had ever expected to end up at. Not that he had been given any sort of choice in the matter. Thomar appearing out of nowhere had only been the start. He had been immediately followed by the Duke of Serin, who Thomar had dragged along as a witness to the fact that Lady Jelena had stolen his pet. 

It had turned out they were on Serin at Lady Jelena's estate. 

Sadly, the Duke had now also witnessed that Thomar's stolen pet had shot a noble woman. And he wasn't amused.

While some medics took care of Robert's injuries and T'lark was at last freed from his chains, Duke Christopher Dracon of Serin and Duke Thomar Dracon of Aylian embarked on a shouting match that made everyone in hearing range flinch away.

Robert kept his head ducked low like befitting a mere slave who's life was forfeit and tried to get his wandering attention back under control. The various antidotes to the drugs the medics shot him up with had helped.

Finally someone stepped between the Dukes before they could come to blows and dragged them outside. Robert didn't really catch who, but the medics happily and in awed tones informed him that it was the Phoenix Knight Duke Thomar had brought with him, who had apparently not only been instrumental in finding Robert, but who also had obliged in autographing the medics' med pads. Oblivious to the fact that Robert was doomed to die a most painful death, they showed off their trophies and then declared him well enough to travel.

Just time in, since both Thomar and the Duke of Serin came back in with grim expressions and moments later they were teleported to P2 and the Imperial Palace right to the ante-chamber of the Emperor's office.

It was a wise decision, really, Robert had to give the Phoenix Knight credit there. When two Dukes got to the point where they were ready to shed each others blood, it was time to bring in a higher ranking referee. And that only left one possible candidate since no one in their right mind would bother the Empress.

Still the thought was extremely scary that the Emperor himself was seated behind that desk of expensive dark wood, the one Robert could only glimpse the lower end of and which he tried to entirely ignore. So far the sovereign ruler of the Phoenix Empire hadn't said a single word.

He had kept his eyes glued to the floor when he had meekly followed his master into the room.

"Your pet killed Lady Jelena." The Duke of Serin repeated angrily. "You can't deny that!"

"And he had every reason to!" Thomar hissed in reply. "She had him kidnapped right out of my palace!"

"Not her fault if your security sucks…"

"Christopher, enough!" The calm, clear voice cut through the argument of the two Dukes towering over Robert with a barely perceptible edge, but neither nobles nor slave failed to notice it. "Stop being such a dick." The Emperor added with gentle admonishment.

Not exactly a turn of phrase Robert would have expected from such an exalted person, but who was he to even think that.

"I…" The Duke of Serin sputtered, but was cut off again.

"Why don't you just tell Duke Thomar what it is you want so desperately that you are threatening his poor pet over it and stop pretending that you aren't entirely glad you finally are rid of that bitch." The Emperor said just calmly.

Silence followed and Robert could well imagine the two Dukes glaring at each other venomously. Not that the Emperor's words made much sense to Robert. Duke Christopher wasn't threatening him, he was demanding justice be served as it should be. Whether he had liked Lady Jelena or hated her guts was of no consequence. A slave had killed a noble. There really was no point to the whole argument, as much as Robert loved Thomar for trying.

"Well?" The Emperor's kind voice prodded.

Robert was close enough to hear Duke Christopher grind his teeth. "The import agreement on hallucinogenic drugs with the demons." He growled.

Thomar snarled in reply and Robert was quite sure he would have done something a lot more physical if they hadn't been in the Emperor's presence.

"See, that wasn't so hard." The ruler of the Phoenix Empire praised with just a hint of condescension. "Now, why don't the two of you go outside and come to an agreement like two civilized adults and stop behaving like bickering boys in a school yard. I wish to talk to the pet. Alone."

Now it was Thomar's turn to start a sputtering protest, but Duke Christopher suddenly chuckled softly. "Come on," he said with a suddenly much friendlier tone, "you don't want to argue with him when he uses that tone."

Robert glanced up for just a moment, panic setting in at the thought of being alone with the most powerful noble in the Empire and saw the Duke of Serin gently steering his master towards the door. Thomar looked as panicked as he felt, but he didn't resist. For once, he had as little choice as Robert.

He quickly returned to studying the floor as a short shuffling behind the desk told him that the Emperor was getting up, right after the door closed behind his lover. Then comfortable black boots stepped into his field of vision. He had just a moment to think 'oh god, he is right in front of me' and then the Emperor settled before him cross-legged and quite at ease from what Robert could discern with his limited view.

"So, you are Robert." The Emperor said with that calm, kind voice. "I'm quite happy to meet you after hearing how dear you are to your master. I'm Leesha."

Robert almost looked up at him. This was Emperor Elisander I. He would certainly not address him with anything but 'your majesty' if at all. But he somehow managed to hang on to his deeply ingrained manners.

Not that it did him any good as the Emperor reached out, gently put one finger under his chin and raised it.

"You may look at me, Robert." He said and that was as good as an order so Robert did look at him.

He looked just like he did in all the pictures and trideos and even a little like the image on the back of a credit. Only none of those did any justice to the genuine kindness in his eyes and the honest smile he had for Robert. He really, really was supposed to be scared witless, but suddenly that seemed rather silly and to his horror he found himself shyly smiling back.

Small laugh lines appeared at the corners of his eyes as the Emperor's smile widened in response. "Thank you for shooting Jelena." He said earnestly. "She was a bitch and your master was right. She deserved to die many times over."

Robert didn't know what to say to that so he just waited. A lesson very quickly learned by any slave, only speak when asked a question.

"Now, we are in a bit of a quandary here. After all dear cousin Christopher is right as well: a slave who attacks a noble is not a thing which can simply be ignored." The Emperor continued, but he didn't sound very serious and he had an amused twinkle in his eyes which reminded Robert of Thomar when he was planning some extraordinary stunt. 

"You know, on most days it is an annoying heap of back breaking work to be Emperor, but it does come with some perks." Now Emperor Elisander was grinning and Robert realized what an infectious expression it was on him. It was hard not to grin along, even if he didn't know the joke yet. "Every once in a while I get to ignore the rules and do exactly as I please. I really love when that happens and today is such an occasion." 

The Emperor took a moment to clear his throat and when he spoke again he sounded all official and strong like he did in the trideo speeches.

"I, Emperor Elisander I, hereby grant my imperial pardon to the slave Robert, present before me, for all misdeeds of the past, be they known or unknown. Any further prosecution is against my will and forbidden."

He smirked at Robert who was gapping at him open mouthed. His mind was trying to scramble after the fact that his death had just been cancelled, but didn't seem to be able to catch on.

Only when the Emperor reach out and gently closed his mouth did he remember how to breathe.

"Thomar is a very good Duke," the Emperor explained gently, "and I want him to stay Duke for a very long time to come. I also know that he hates it. You are his reward."

That at least made some sense to Robert.

"Before I return you to your master, I have a little gift for you." Emperor Elisander said.

Robert had just a moment to wonder what could possibly be a gift after the one he had just received, when the Emperor opened his hand to reveal a simple earring in the imperial colours of gold and ruby red. The mark of imperial protection on a pet. Robert just stared at it.

Once more the Emperor reached out, this time he took Robert's hand, gently placed the earring on his palm and closed Robert's hand around it. "I suggest you put it in soon, dear." He said softly. "Now run along, I bet your master is already chewing the carpet off the floor out there, worrying about you."

He really should have thanked the Emperor, but he fled as quickly as his wobbly legs would support him. Only when the door closed behind him did he remember how to breathe. He leaned against it with his eyes closed, trying to wrap his mind around everything that had happened way too quickly in the last few hours.

"Hey." A cool, friendly voice addressed him softly and when he opened his eyes there was another creature of legend before him.

Master Wesley, the Emperor's fabled secretary and courtesan stood before Robert. He looked so impeccably beautiful and perfect Robert felt the urge to drop to his knees once more, but he was gently restrained by the hand of the other man.

"Here, drink this." Master Wesley advised and put a small glass into Robert's hand.

Robert drained it without even looking at it and then shuddered at the pleasant feeling of rich whiskey running down his throat and filling his stomach with a warm, reassuring glow.

"Oh my god, thank you." He coughed, not very dignified but immensely grateful.

The smile on the courtesan's face was polite as befitted his elevated status but Robert couldn't shake the feeling that it was also genuine. "You're welcome."

Robert's gratitude intensified immeasurably as Master Wesley allowed him almost a minute to gather his frazzled mind. Then he was gently guided to an elegant waiting area which the Duke of Serin was just exiting, looking rather satisfied. He nodded at Robert with an amused smile and walked away, all threats of painful execution apparently off the table.

"Robert?" Thomar's voice drew him like a string, but he needn't have bothered. Moments later his master's arms wrapped around him like he was planning to never ever let go again. Robert gratefully sank against him.

"Robert, what happened?" Thomar asked, his voice tinged with fear. "What did he say? I won't let them hurt you! We will flee and…"

"He pardoned me." Robert stopped his lover's mad plans in their tracks.

"He what…?" Now Thomar sounded as awed at Robert felt and that was greatly reassuring.

"He gave me an imperial pardon." Robert repeated and wondered if it would start feeling more real if he said it a few hundred times more.

"Oh." It was just a tiny sound, but Robert was pretty sure he had hardly ever heard Thomar so relieved. "You're safe."

And then he was kissed gently and with all the love he ever needed. He leaned against his lover, all the tension slowly draining out of him and leaving nothing but exhaustion.

"Let's go home." Thomar said tiredly and Robert couldn't agree more.

Against all odds and probabilities he still had his home, his lover and his life. He hadn't just survived, he had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter in this story for a while, since there are other stories I want to concentrate on. I am pretty sure I will return to Robert and Thomar at some point, but it won't be soon so I will mark this as complete until I do write more.


End file.
